To ask the Minister of Health whether any assessment has been made of the need for a mental health wellbeing service intervention, in conjunction with the Department of Education, in primary schools.

There is strong ongoing collaborative working between my Department and the Department of Education, through established joint planning, evidencegathering and service development arrangements within the primary school arena.

Assessment of need is undertaken through ongoing evidence gathering, service uptake analysis, programme evaluation and the commissioned Independent Review, rather than through a single standalone needs assessment exercise.

The joint DOH/DE led Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Education Framework, launched in February 2021, comprises both Health and Education Authority led projects, working within all education settings, including primary schools. An Independent Review of the effectiveness of the Framework has been commissioned which will underpin future decisions on mental health wellbeing service development in schools.

In parallel the draft Health and Social Care Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing Framework has been published for public consultation. This HSC Framework has been explicitly developed to align with the Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Education Framework

The HSC Framework, when finalised, will support health and social care services and practitioners to collaborate with other services, agencies and key stakeholders in order to rationalise, coordinate and integrate high-quality, evidence-based support, intervention and diagnostic care pathways that best meet the needs of children, young people and their families.

Both frameworks aim to create a consistent, system-wide approach to emotional wellbeing, ensuring that children and young people receive coordinated support regardless of whether they are accessing services through health or education.