Debate contribution: Community Children’s Nursing Services
Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on .
- MLA
- Mr Mike Nesbitt
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 3 November 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Community Children’s Nursing Services
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5213258
Read the official Assembly record
Text
All special education needs schools across Northern Ireland have community children’s nurses (CCNs) available to them in order to manage the identifiable healthcare needs of their pupils. For historical reasons, of the 40 SEN schools in Northern Ireland, only eight have on-site CCNs in place, who are split across the Belfast Trust and the South Eastern Trust. In the 2023-24 financial year, the delivery model in Knockevin School changed to an in-reach model, with CCNs providing assessment and care planning for children with complex healthcare needs. The nurses provided knowledge and skills-based training to key staff in the school and were available for queries and guidance as necessary. After engagement and discussion with the Department and the South Eastern Trust, the presence of an on-site nurse in Knockevin School was stepped up again in mid-2025, and, currently, a CCN is on site two mornings a week in addition to the presence of allied health professional colleagues. Following last month's publication of the Public Health Agency's review of the healthcare needs of children attending SEN schools, officials in my Department have commenced work alongside colleagues from Education in order to ensure that all children in SEN schools have access to necessary healthcare.
201 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.84).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.84 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.98 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:47 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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