update

Updated – Further Information in Relation to Greenhill Respite 

Context from Meeting Minutes (4 March 2026)

Attended by two Senior Social Workers, a minute taker and myself.

The meeting minutes record that:

• Allocations at Greenhill are based on assessed need, including multi-disciplinary input.

• Most families receive one overnight stay per month

“it would not be going to two nights unless the assessment states that. The allocations are based on assessed need and everyone has to be treated with fairness. If in exceptional circumstances 2 nights are provide this child will not have Greenhill monthly”

It was also stated:

“there are lots of children and a high level of demand for supports … there are lots of families that don’t get overnight respite”

👉 This raises questions regarding how assessed need is determined in practice, and what factors result in some families receiving one night, others two nights, and some families receiving no overnight respite at all.

Their response to concerns raised regarding a lack of holiday support since summer 2025:

“there is a significant number of children across the Trust, including the Down, Lisburn and Ards area and teams are trying to work with limited staffing.”

👉 This raises questions about how staffing levels are impacting the availability and consistency of support, including holiday provision.

• A recruitment process for Family Support Workers took place in October/November 2025

• A further FOI request has been submitted to seek clarification.

JH