To ask the Minister of Education what he is doing to explore how to more effectively use the discretionary power outlined in Section 4 and Section 8 of the Children’s Services Co-operation (Northern Ireland) Act (2015), relating to the sharing of resources and the pooling of funds cross-departmentally, to increase and expand existing provisions often provided by the voluntary and community sector in early intervention.

Guidance on the operation of the Children’s Services Co-operation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (CSCA) which includes advice on the sharing of resources and pooling of funds is in place. It can be accessed at https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/guidance-childrens-services-co-operation-act-northern-ireland-2015

My officials are engaging with Department of Finance counterparts to consider if there is merit in reviewing the guidance referred to, thereby providing an opportunity to consider how it might be updated to support or promote the discretionary power on pooling and sharing of resources outlined in Section 4 of the CSCA.