AQW 33484/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Education
To ask the Minister of Education to detail the current roles within each of the Education Authority's local IMPACT teams, including a breakdown of (i) each specific job role; (ii) the number of each role within a team; and (iii) current vacancies for these roles.
Asked by Nick Mathison MLA on 14 October 2025
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 14 October 2025
- Answer due by
- 29 October 2025
- Answered
- 27 October 202513 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Education
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The Education Authority (EA) has advised that:
Each school age Local Impact Team (LIT) needs to be able to deploy Teacher grade specialist staff across each of the following specialisms: Cognition & Learning (C&L), Language & Communication (L&C), Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Post-Primary Social Behavioural and Emotional Wellbeing (PPSBEW) and Primary Social Behavioural and Emotional Wellbeing (PPSBEW). Each Early Years Local IMPACT Teams needs to be able to deploy at least four Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Early Years specialist Teachers.
The formation of the 28 LITs had to respect the existing contractual terms and conditions of the staff coming from eight different services placing some limitations on the geographic area which staff could work across. As a result, the number of each job role within a LIT currently varies.
The below table details the distribution of existing Teacher grade staff by specialism across all 28 LITs as of 30 September 2025. In addition to the below, a further seven FTE SBEW Assistant Advisory Officers are deployed flexibly across the LIT areas to carry caseload as required.
| LITS / Specialism | ASD | C & L | L & C | PSBEW | PPSBEW | Total FTE | |
| NHSCT | 1. Antrim | 1.8 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 1.16 | 0.4 | 8.96 |
| 2. Ballymena, Larne | 0.6 | 6.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.97 | 8.77 | |
| 3. Coleraine, Glens | 0.6 | 6.2 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 10.5 | |
| 4. Cookstown, Magherafelt | 1.8 | 6.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 10.3 | |
| 5. Newtownabbey | 2.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 11.8 | |
| BHSCT | 6. Belfast East | 0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0 | 2.6 | 5.0 |
| 7. Belfast North | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.32 | 1.4 | 3.72 | |
| 8. Belfast South-west | 2.0 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 7.0 | |
| 9. Belfast West | 1.0 | 3.8 | 0 | 1.4 | 1.12 | 7.32 | |
| SEHSCT | 10. Ballynahinch, Downpatrick | 3.0 | 3.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 |
| 11. Bangor, Ards | 1.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 9.6 | |
| 12. Lisburn | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.2 | |
| SHSCT | 13. Armagh | 1.0 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.6 | 8.3 |
| 14. Craigavon, Portadown, Lurgan | 2.0 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0 | 9.0 | |
| 15. Dungannon | 1.0 | 5.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 | |
| 16. Newry | 2.0 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0 | 10.0 | |
| WHSCT | 17. Derry City | 1.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 4.84 | 2.2 | 12.04 |
| 18. Enniskillen | 0 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 0 | 1.0 | 5.4 | |
| 19. Omagh | 2.0 | 7.2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 12.0 | |
| 20. Waterside, Limavady, Dungiven | 1.0 | 5.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 8.7 | |
| School Age Total (FTE) | 26.4 | 88.5 | 13.2 | 20.82 | 17.69 | 166.61 | |
| Early Years | 1. EYBHSCT | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 |
| 2. EYNHSCT East | 1.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | |
| 3. EYNHSCT West | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 | |
| 4. EYSEHSCT | 1.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | |
| 5. EYSHSCT East | 0 | 2.86 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 3.46 | |
| 6. EYSHSCT West | 0 | 4.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.4 | |
| 7. EYWHSCT North | 0.8 | 2.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 | |
| 8. EYWHSCT South | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | |
| Early Years Total (FTE) | 7.6 | 23.06 | 2.6 | 0 | 0 | 33.26 | |
| Grand Total (FTE) | 34.0 | 111.56 | 15.8 | 20.82 | 17.69 | 199.87 | |
A total of 29.4 FTE Teacher grade specialist posts are currently authorised for recruitment.