AQW 24369/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health whether additional funding has been allocated to support the reintroduction and expansion of respite services.
Asked by Claire Sugden MLA on 13 March 2025
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 13 March 2025
- Answer due by
- 31 March 2025
- Answered
- 31 March 202518 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
In answering this question, this has been interpreted as relating to Children with Disabilities (CwD) services, and the response is being provided specifically in respect of the additional funding announced by my Department in October 2024 to improve services for Children with Disabilities.
To date, a total of circa £1.38m additional funding has been allocated to HSC Trusts for the 2024/25 financial year, for a range of services and supports for CWD, which will include respite / short breaks services.
Officials are currently working to finalise the allocations to individual HSC Trusts for 2025/26 from the circa £13.1m additional funding available on a recurrent basis.
The additional funding being provided has been specifically ringfenced in order to directly improve short breaks capacity, increase residential capacity and rapidly expand a range of family, therapeutic and behavioural supports, and the services to be commissioned from the funding will be within these priority areas.