AQW 33874/22-27


Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford


Tabled Date: 20/10/2025
Answered On Date: 28/10/2025
Priority Written: Yes


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail what level of (i) investment; and (iI) co-operation has been committed in the current school year to the SEN Reform Agenda, particularly in relation to (a) the development of multi-agency support for schools; and (b) the provision of Allied Health Professional input for pupils with speech, language and communication needs in mainstream schools.


Answer:
(i) In 2022, my predecessor approved an additional £2.5m recurrent funding to address pressures on Allied Health Professionals (AHP). This enabled greater collaboration between Health and Education to ensure that AHP provision was reflected in the current Reform Agenda and Delivery Plan.
Given the level of financial pressures currently facing my Department it is challenging to further increase funding in this current school year. I am unable to confirm allocations for the next financial year until the outcome of the 2026/27 budget is known.
(ii) My Department is committed to the SEN Reform Agenda and is engaged with DE through a number of structures as set out in the Governance Framework including the Central Strategic Committee, Operational Implementation Group, Advisory Forum and Data and Monitoring Hub. This collaboration includes input from senior Allied Health Professionals from my Department and the Public Health Agency.
At a service level, the Regional Integrated Support for Education (RISE) NI service is a multi-professional early intervention team that works in all education funded mainstream primary schools and nurseries up until Primary 4 funded through the Children and Young People’s Package. The RISE teams include speech and language therapists, alongside occupational therapists, physiotherapists, behaviour therapists, clinical psychologists and therapy assistants who work in a transdisciplinary manner delivering a tiered model of support to proactively address barriers to learning.
A range of supports are provided by RISE staff who work directly in the mainstream school setting supporting children and young people with speech language and communication; physical, sensory and perceptual; and social emotional and behavioural needs to assist them to develop, achieve and learn. Work continues across Health with the Education Authority to develop collaborative working between RISE and the newly established EA Local IMPACT teams who are currently implementing and refining their model of support for schools, which are located around Trust boundaries.