AQW 39413/22-27
Miss Nuala McAllister
Alliance Party
North Belfast
Tabled Date: 29/01/2026
Answered On Date: 17/02/2026
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of children who were assessed as being on the edge of care, in the last 12 months, have moved to adult services.
Answer:
The strategy for Looked After Children ‘A Life Deserved: ‘Caring for Children & Young People in Northern Ireland’ (2021) outlines that ‘edge of care’ means one of a number of things: Living in Families with intense needs and requiring intensive supports [on the edge of coming into care]; Returning home from a period of care [on the edge of a [short] period in care]; Leaving care to make the journey into adult life [on the edge of ageing out of care]. It also applies to children and young people who have left care and are still in need of some support; including those who have been adopted; those who are living in a family under a Private Law Order; and those who are supported in independent living in early adulthood. There is no single, formal, regional assessment process specifically called an “edgeofcare assessment” in Northern Ireland. Trust social work staff enact a range of functions within the context of the core legislation and policy for all children who may require support, protection, or entry into care. The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, sets out statutory duties for assessing children’s needs and safeguarding welfare. Health and Social Care Trusts conduct assessments of need using the Understanding the Needs of Children in Northern Ireland, (UNOCINI) assessment framework, when a child or family requires support or where a safeguarding concern is identified. This is the regional mechanism for determining risk and required interventions. If concerns escalate, Trusts follow the established child in need and child protection procedures which guide decisions about whether a child should remain at home with support or move into care. The individual circumstances of any child, including children with disability, complex needs and co-morbid diagnoses will be considered by the assessing social worker within the same multi-disciplinary assessment process as outlined above. Social Workers are required to adopt a trauma informed approach to families experiencing elevated levels of need and to reflect in their decision making upon the central importance of establishing authentic partnerships with parents at times of increased stress and challenge. When a parent is expressing the need for their child to be admitted to residential care as a direct result of the intensity of presentation at home, the child is considered to be on the edge of care. SPPG collates information from each of the Health and Social Care Trusts on a monthly basis in relation to the number of children and young people with a disability deemed to be on the edge of care. However, specific data is not collected in relation to the number of children assessed as being on the edge of care in the last 12 months who have moved to adult services. As detailed above SPPG collates information in respect of children and young people with a disability deemed to be on the edge of care and these numbers are showing a decrease in recent months. This is reflective of the impact of the investment of £13.1 million in October 2024. Trusts are continuing to develop their edge of care services with an increase in community-based services being offered to support children with a disability and their families. This has resulted in a degree of reduction in the level of acute need previously reported. Health and Social Care Trusts’ Children with Disability Edge of Care data June – November 2025. | TOTAL | June 2025 | 97 | July 2025 | 92 | August 2025 | 81 | September 2025 | 77 | October 2025 | 78 | November 2025 | 73 |
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