To ask the Minister of Education for an update on the work of the joint project team who are working on a regional model to meet the complex healthcare needs of children and young people in special schools.

The Departments of Education and Health, the Education Authority (EA), Health & Social Care Trusts and the Public Health Agency are working in collaboration with other key stakeholders to develop a new model of care to provide healthcare support for children and young people with complex healthcare needs in special schools.

This work has placed the needs of children and young people at its core with the development of a new model of care informed by understanding the lived experiences of the pupils, their families, school and health staff and clinicians.

Engagement with children, parents and school staff, has taken place in special schools across Northern Ireland in recent weeks where views on the current delivery of healthcare support at school were sought. These events were supplemented by online engagement sessions to capture further views from parents and school staff. A series of engagement events with relevant health professionals, supported by the Patient Client Council, will be held during August.

The project team is in the process of commissioning an academic professional to undertake a scoping study of healthcare delivery models used in other regions of the UK and wider afield to help the working group to identity alternative approaches and examples of best practice that could inform future service development.