To ask the Minister of Health for an update on the provision of children's respite services.

Mr Nesbitt

The additional regional funding provided for the children with disabilities service is being spent on a range of initiatives to improve family and community support for children with a disability, with the aim of increasing short-break provision and expanding specialist care programmes. The trusts have increased contracts with voluntary and community providers, securing additional support for families through a broad range of service initiatives. I remain very mindful of the urgent focus on overnight short-break provision for children with disabilities. However, it has to be recognised that the provision of short breaks for children with disability is much more expansive than solely overnight provision. I can confirm that there has been increased service provision across all five geographic trusts that has supported improved access to short breaks, either via day supports or overnight provision. I advise Members that, as a result of the children with disability investment, approximately 869 additional overnight short breaks were provided across the region between January 2025 and the end of January 2026. That is in addition to the development of a variety of valuable community and family support services that further enhanced children with disability services. Whilst the regional investment is beginning to address key areas, I need to reiterate to Members that short-break services for children with disabilities remain fragile. The longer-term development of a comprehensive continuum of services will take some time. It will be necessary to address the significant gap that exists in residential provision alongside preventative community-based services, in order to protect the availability of short-break services. Further sustained investment, in capital projects and workforce development, will be required over several years.

Mr Nesbitt

I will ignore the accusation of being cynical and address the fundamental. The five trusts have confirmed final funding for the financial year 2025-26 across a range of proposals. The amount of funding, which is rounded up, is as follows: Belfast Trust, £2·2 million; Northern Trust, £1·4 million; South Eastern Trust, £2·1 million; Southern Trust, £1·4 million; and Western Trust, £2·2 million. That is a total of approximately £9·4 million, so, therefore, there is approximately £3·7 million of slippage against the original funding of £13·1 million. I apologise for that, but I do not apologise for the ambition in securing £13·1 million, and it is recurrent funding.

Ms Ferguson

Obviously, I very much welcome the £2·2 million going to the Western Trust for children's respite care and support. Given the current regional recruitment campaign that will target the recruitment of carers, who, we all know, are the backbone of society, how many is the Minister aiming to recruit and will it be sufficient to meet the current unmet need in respite services?

Mr Nesbitt

As ever, the answer has to be predicated and ring-fenced by the budget, but I thank the Member for welcoming the investment in her area. Recruitment is very challenging in that area, and the Member may well be aware of that. We will press on with trying to get the right workforce in the right place as soon as possible. It is important to say that I am also committed to supporting the parents and carers of young people with disabilities. Let me write to the Member if I have more detail from the Department.

Ms Hunter

Many parents whom I speak with in my constituency say that they are burnt out, overwhelmed, exhausted and injured many days of the week. Many of them say that they feel that they are being failed. Do you think that they are being failed, Minister?

Mr Nesbitt

I acknowledge how difficult it is for those parents. What we traditionally call "burn out" is very common, and I get it. I have met many parents and carers and not just those who we now call the "Spotlight mums", whom I have met on a number of occasions. However, it is a rather emotive way to phrase the question. There are a lot of people in the Department and across the health and social care geographic trusts who are trying to do their best. Therefore, I do not agree with the language that the Member has used. I agree with her, and I imagine that she would agree with me, that we can and must do better.