1. Ms Bradshaw asked the Minister of Health for an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the independent review of children’s social care services in Northern Ireland. (AQO 555/22-27)

I thank the Member for her question. The report of the independent review of children's social care services was published in June of last year. It was followed by a public consultation on the review recommendations. That ran for 12 weeks from September to December 2023. My officials are developing advice based on analysis of the responses to the public consultation. Subject to the final outcome of the consultation and other factors, including the availability of budget, of course, and the views of other Ministers, where relevant because of cross-cutting issues, the intention is to implement as many recommendations as possible as quickly as possible. A number of the recommendations will be taken forward, as appropriate, through the children's social care services reform programme.

Thank you, Health Minister. Last week, I spoke to a senior social worker in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. She said that she feels under a lot of pressure and almost as though she is part of a second-class workforce. What short-term measures are you taking to better support and bolster the social work community?

I thank the Member for her follow-up question. I accept that working in children's social care services requires fully staffed, well-motivated and well-managed teams of social workers and, indeed, other staff. Work to identify measures to address the issues in the social care workforce is ongoing under the workforce review implementation board and the children's social care services strategic reform programme. Under the reform programme, a social care workforce work stream has been established. An exercise to scope the existing social care workforce and work on a social care workforce strategy have also commenced.

A number of actions aimed at stabilising the social work workforce have already been taken. They include fast-tracking the employment of newly qualified social workers and the cessation of recruitment of social workers through recruitment agencies. Work on the development of a 10-year plan for pathways into social work is well advanced. That plan aims to maximise attraction into the social work profession, outline the most efficient recruitment processes and describe effective retention strategies to maintain social workers in essential health and social care services. Funding has been secured to commission an additional 40 social work training places, which are expected to commence in September of this year.

The Minister will be aware that, last week, Professor Ray Jones briefed the Health Committee on his review. He expressed concern and frustration about the pace of the implementation of the review's recommendations. Will the Minister assure us that he will take the decisions needed to move this on as quickly as possible before more children end up in care when that could have been avoided?

I thank the Committee Chair for her comments and her question. I was aware that Professor Jones was at the Committee last Thursday. He was good enough, on his way back to the airport, to drive by Castle Buildings, and I was able to have a brief introductory conversation with him. I woke up this morning to find a very encouraging email from the professor. I very much look forward to engaging with him in the immediate future.

The issues are really important, and some of the recommendations are cross-cutting and, to my mind, potentially repercussive. I want to give due consideration not just to what is proposed and the impact on children's services but to how it might impact on other areas. For example, his recommendation for an arm's-length body (ALB) is potentially repercussive. I am not saying that that is a bad thing; I am just saying that we need to be aware of what those repercussions may be, and that will mean having a discussion with Executive colleagues.

The best involvement that children can have with social services is no involvement because it is not required. When we asked Professor Jones that question last week, he cited things such as the two-child benefit cap and the lack of a poverty strategy as contributors to the conditions that mean that children will require involvement with social services. What work is the Minister doing with Executive colleagues to try to prevent poverty and enable children to stay away from social services?

The Member will be aware that I am fewer than two weeks in post. There is yet to be an Executive meeting during my time as the Health Minister, although I hope that that will cease to be the case on Thursday.

I have identified some of the areas that I consider to be the most difficult or challenging in Health and Social Care (HSC). I want to concentrate on those areas over the next three years, and they include waiting lists, cancer, mental health and health inequalities. We need to see the Executive take cross-cutting actions on health inequalities, and that will address where the Member is directing me.