Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the National Educational Psychological Service resources by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12154/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. 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.

My Department, over the course of recent economic difficulties, has not only maintained psychologists staffing levels within NEPS, but has increased them by some 10% since late 2008, to 165 whole time equivalent psychologists currently employed.

The Programme for a Partnership Government commits that we will invest additional resources in the National Educational Psychological Service to ensure earlier intervention and access for young children and teenagers and to offer immediate support to schools in cases of critical incidents. The Programme commits to bring the total number of NEPS psychologists to 238 from the current sanctioned limit of 173.

In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS has adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem solving and solution oriented consultative approach to maximise positive outcomes for these pupils. NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Teachers may consult their NEPS psychologist should they need to at this stage in the process. Only in the event of a failure to make reasonable progress, in spite of the school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, will the psychologist become involved with an individual child for intensive intervention or assessment.

This system allows 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.

In answer to the direct question posed by the Deputy I can inform him that the NEPS budget for 2016 stand at €18.25m which provides for the support of a national structure of regional and local offices and a targeted complement of some 173 w.t.e. educational psychologists. To increase this number by a further 10% (or 17 w.t.e. psychologists) would demand a direct investment of some €1.2m. per annum.