To ask the Minister of Education to provide details of the support available in schools for those with eating disorders.

The Education Authority currently provides a range of services to support pupils needing help to face difficulties that are impacting their ability to engage with education. Such services may encounter children with eating disorders as part of their core work and will offer support as appropriate, often through multi-disciplinary planning meetings, engaging with health professionals and family support.

Specifically, the EA Exceptional Teaching Arrangements (ETA) Service at Beechcroft Education Unit supports children who are inpatients, supporting the care planning process on the ward by assisting children to access their education. Furthermore ETA in the community can also provide teaching support to children and young people with eating disorders, who are not in hospital but who by virtue of their mental health, cannot attend school.

Through the Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Education Framework, published in February 2021, a range of further support programmes will be delivered jointly by Education and Health through a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach, and provide early and enhanced support for those children and young people who may be at risk, or showing signs of needing further help. This includes a new secure and confidential “Text A Nurse” service and a new CAMHS Wellbeing in School service which will help build capacity within schools to identify and get more timely support from core CAMHS services.