To ask the Minister of Health whether there are any plans to change the number of beds for inpatient care in Lakewood secure care unit.

Lakewood Secure Care Unit is commissioned to provide care for up to sixteen young people aged 13-17 from across the five HSC Trusts in NI.

The number of placements in use at a point in time is dependent on the assessment process which determines how safety and quality can be maintained while accommodating some of the regions most vulnerable and at-risk children and young people.

Due to the competing needs of children and young people there are times when the placement capacity will not be utilised to its full function in order to ensure that the needs of the children remain paramount.

There are no plans to increase the amount of commissioned secure beds in the region however there is extensive work being explored as to how Northern Ireland can improve its Secure Care portfolio.

(i) The number of current places occupied within Lakewood Secure Care Centre is 8.

(ii) The number of placements that are not being currently utilised is 8.

When young people who have a greater complexity of need are admitted to Lakewood, this requires a higher level of staffing support. In response, and to ensure the safety of everyone within the Centre, SEHSCT have at times reduced the capacity of Lakewood. This is one of those times. While there was a consistent provision of placements for some considerable time, this has more recently been reduced to 8 beds, reflective of a temporary reduction in staffing capacity which has arisen following serious assaults on staff.