To ask the Minister of Health for an update on work undertaken by his Department on post-19 provision for adults with special educational needs.

It is important to recognise that special educational needs relates to services provided for children and young people. A cohort of children with SEN with be known to HSC children’s disability teams, who will likely transition into an adult HSC service.

The Department of Health is currently consulting on the draft Learning Disability Service Model. The Model proposes a new approach to supporting adults with a learning disability through Health and Social Care services in Northern Ireland. It sets out the key outcomes we want to achieve, the principles that will guide delivery, and the actions needed to improve services across the system.

The draft model sets out a regionally consistent framework to improve outcomes across several HSC areas, including: (i) Transitions; (ii) Health & Wellbeing; (iii) Day Services and Meaningful Activity; (iv) Support for Families and Carers; (v) Home and Independent Living; and (vi) Mental Health and Behaviours of Concern.

A key ambition within the draft Learning Disability Service Model is to expand and improve access to short breaks and greater support for families and carers. My Department remains committed to working with HSC Trusts and other agencies to offer short break provision to adults with a learning disability and to offer support to their families/carers.

My Department is also leading on the reform of Adult Social Care through the Social Care Collaborative Forum (SCCF) on how to support best use of current provision and expansion of placement provision within care home settings from a residential and nursing care perspective - this will assist with the provision of short breaks to support individuals and their carers.

The SCCF Supported Living workstream is also developing an overall vision for supported living in Northern Ireland which aligns to the LDSM ambition for adults with a Learning Disability to be supported to live with the highest level of independence possible.

Recognising that improved access and support for adults is required, a review of Adult Autism Services was also commissioned by the Department in 2023. In response to the findings, the post of Adult Autism Commissioning Lead was established. A project lead was subsequently appointed and in February 2025 took up post in my Department’s Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG). The project lead’s focus is to better understand the population, pathways, presenting need and to further develop supports and services across the region.

On 2 July 25, SPPG convened a regional workshop bringing Trust colleagues together with autistic adults to review current adult autism diagnostic and support pathways and identify steps that can be taken collectively within a financially constrained environment to manage growing waiting lists and improve access to support and services.

An initial action plan was co-developed during the workshop and a regional Strategy and Planning group has been established to take this work forward.