Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 384: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the steps she is taking to meet for psychological assessment needs at all schools here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34011/10]

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.

Children who manifest very special or urgent needs in school and who have not been previously assessed by a psychologist and are brought to the attention of a NEPS psychologist by the Principal teacher will usually be assessed by the psychologist within that school term. Normally, principals of schools prioritise those children in need of psychological assessment in consultation with the assigned psychologist.

In the case of schools that do not currently have dedicated NEPS psychologists assigned to them, as I already mentioned, such schools have access to psychological assessments through the SCPA. Under this Scheme, schools can commission assessments from a member of the panel of private practitioners approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the fees directly to the psychologist concerned.

The Deputy will no doubt be aware of the undertaking within the Renewed Programme for Government to an overall expansion of NEPS psychologist numbers to 210, currently NEPS staffing numbers stand at 157. While 11 new recruits have been brought into the NEPS service in the past year a similar number have been lost to the service in that time due to resignation or retirement.

However I can inform the Deputy that my Department and the Public Appointments Service (PAS), following the organisation of a competition and interview process earlier this year, has put in place a new recruitment panel for NEPS. PAS is currently poling candidates for an initial intake of 20 psychologists which it is hoped will, following the required Garda vetting process, be available for intake into NEPS by years end or early in the new year. It is also envisaged that the remainder of the required intake, to the level of that committed to in the Renewed Programme for Government, will receive similar offers shortly thereafter.

This targeted expansion will allow for the assignment of a NEPS psychologist to all primary and post-primary schools and pupils nationally.