To ask the Minister for Social Development, pursuant to AQW 45881/11-15, to detail how his Department engages directly with vulnerable adults and their families when considering their individual needs during the commissioning process.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive engages with vulnerable adults and their families in a number of ways, both directly and indirectly. This engagement informs the development of services and consequently what future services are required.

Through the Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) the Housing Executive monitors how service providers engage with current and prospective service users and their families to ensure their needs are being meet.

When jointly commissioning new services the Housing Executive can engage with service users at existing similar services and survey them on how future services should be developed and what improvements they would like to see for other service users. Those views are then considered in the design and accommodation specifications of new services.

The Housing Executive is represented on a number of groups at which service users and their families are also represented. The Housing Executive regularly provides feedback on issues raised to local commissioning groups for discussion.