To ask the Minister of Education to detail any structures that will be in place to support collaboration and sharing of information between the Sensory Support Service and the new Local Impact Teams.

The Education Authority (EA) has advised that:

The EA’s Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Transformation Team are nearing finalisation of the SEND Local IMPACT Teams (LITs) operating model ahead of its roll out in September 2025.

The EA’s Sensory Service will continue to be delivered in its current form (i.e. regionally) but will sit within the Regional Management Unit which will oversee the Local IMPACT Teams. As such collaboration and sharing of information will be delivered through a single management structure for both services. This will include the Sensory Service collaborating directly with the relevant Local IMPACT Team to co-ordinate blended support for a sensory-impaired child or young person who also has wider special educational needs.