To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 15424/22-27 and AQW 15425/22-27, to detail the work being undertaken between his Department, the Education Authority and the Department of Health to ensure the needs of children looked after are being met in preschool settings.

My officials work with their counterparts in the Department of Health (DoH) and the Education Authority (EA) to deliver the actions within the joint DE and DoH A Life Deserved: "Caring" for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland Strategy. The Strategy acknowledges that joint working is key, particularly between schools, the EA and Health and Social Care Trusts if we are to help Children Looked After (CLA) reach their full potential.

Most of the current work is focussed on the rollout of interventions developed and piloted for CLA under the Early Intervention and Transformation Programme. This has taken place for primary-aged CLA only so far. There is ongoing scoping work to identify issues to be considered in advance of the service being extended beyond primary schools, however a phased approach to implementation is required.