Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a child (details supplied) in Dublin 11 will receive a psychological assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50205/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I can inform the Deputy that 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), full details of which are on the Department's website. Where a NEPS psychologist is not assigned to a school, authorities therein may access psychological assessments through SCPA. Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.

It should also be noted that in common with many other psychological services, NEPS encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for a pupil's initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention. 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. I have made enquiries in respect of this case and can inform you that, to date, no request has been made to the assigned NEPS psychologist in relation to the assessment of the child referred to in the Deputies question.

It is the responsibility of the school Principal in the first instance to identify and prioritise pupils for assessment under the process described above. I would suggest that the parents of the child in question should discuss the matter with the school Principal who will advise them as to the appropriateness of a referral to or intervention by the school's assigned NEPS psychologist in this instance.

Should school authorities have specific difficulties with regard any of the foregoing I would suggest that they contact the relevant local NEPS Office (in this instance NEPS Office, Frederick Court, Tel: 01-8892700 to discuss the matter.