To ask the Minister of Education what steps his Department have taken to maximise the role of formal and informal education settings in reducing youth violence.

The Education Authority’s Youth Service (EAYS), supported by funding from the Executive’s Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC), has developed a multi-layered youth work model to address violence. This model combines early intervention, mentoring, education, and community engagement to reduce violence and build resilience among young people and includes:

The ENGAGE programme - focuses on structured mentoring for young people at risk within their communities;

CONNECT - supports young people who present at Hospital Emergency Departments;

The FUSION project - embeds youth workers in schools to support vulnerable pupils;

Early Intervention Programme - brings together youth workers and emergency services to engage young people involved in anti-community activities;

The Mentors in Safety programme - trains young people to lead peer workshops on issues like mental health, bullying, and substance abuse, creating safer environments and stronger peer networks;

The Y-BOX model - a targeted, evidence-informed intervention developed by Queen’s University Belfast and EA to address youth violence among young men.

These projects and programmes are underpinned by the EA’s Social Unrest Model, which provides a strategic framework for youth work during social unrest. Youth services adopt a tailored response ranging from universal engagement and prevention to targeted interventions, protection during unrest, and post-event reflection and support.

The Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 requires schools to record incidents or alleged incidents of bullying type behaviour, their motivation and their outcome. It requires all schools to have an Anti-Bullying policy and preventative measures which are kept under regular review.

Article 3 of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 as amended by Article 19 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 requires a school to have a discipline policy which outlines the behaviour it expects from pupils and the sanctions it will impose for breaches in discipline.

My department has produced "Pastoral Care in Schools: Promoting Positive Behaviour" guidance which sets out how a school should develop a discipline/positive behaviour policy using a whole school approach in consultation with pupils and parents.