Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 215: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will take immediate steps to have detailed psychological assessment carried out in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21182/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware all primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved and paid for by NEPS.

In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the school's best efforts, will a child be referred for individual psychological assessment. This system allows the psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.

I have made enquiries with my Department's National Educational Psychological Service in relation to the pupil referred to in the Deputy's question and can confirm that while the NEPs psychologist assigned to the relevant school is aware of the case, no approach has been made by school authorities in relation to the current assessment or review of the child. The NEPS service is available to provide any relevant assistance requested by school authorities in this instance and I would suggest that the child's parents raise the matter with the school principal.