Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Regarding NEPS, I want to be 100% clear. There is no cut - absolutely none - in the NEPS funding made available this year. What has happened, which was clarified, is that the heading under which payments such as salaries, etc., for NEPS are made has been moved to a different subhead. There has been no cut whatsoever in NEPS funding. I welcome the very positive endorsement many Members have given to the roll-out of this programme. There has also been a very positive endorsement from schools.

Reference was made to play therapists. The Department has liaised with additional associations and is now accepting applications from counsellors accredited by the IAPTP and the ACAP and those registered with the ICP. Any involvement of a young person in this scheme will have to be signed off by a parent or legal guardian, as would always be the case.

On the different strands, strand 1 is counsellor-led and strand 2 involves well-being practitioners. Well-being practitioners in strand 2 have been interviewed and positions offered. We anticipate that these graduates in psychology, for example, or social care, will be employed in the four pilot areas in the coming weeks. They will initially receive additional training from NEPS psychologists.

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