There are no proposals at present for the transfer of responsibility for care and education of children and young people with severe to profound intellectual disability from the Department of Health and Children to my Department. Children with a severe or profound general learning disability require a multi-disciplinary response involving educational and health inputs. Responsibility for providing health care rests with the relevant health authority. My Department has responsibility for educational support services.
In terms of the educational component, children with severe or profound disabilities are entitled to provision in special dedicated schools or in special dedicated classes attached to schools. Currently there are five dedicated special schools for pupils with severe or profound disabilities. There are also 125 special classes allocated to address the educational needs of pupils with severe or profound general learning disability. Further such classes are being established in response to identified needs. The nature and severity of the condition in question requires a high level of co-ordination between service providers on the education and health sides. I would regard it as absolutely essential that such co-ordination should continue to be a central feature of service delivery in this area.
