Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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125. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing National Educational Psychological Service resources in order that it may provide a diagnosis for children from application to final decision in a 12-week timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12172/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the NEPS model of service is a needs-based model as opposed to a diagnosis-driven model. As the Deputy will be aware, the needs of children and young people occur along a continuum ranging from mild to severe and from transient to enduring.

Schools are encouraged to match the level of support provided with the level of need presenting, so that pupils and young people with greatest need access greatest support. Early intervention and prevention approaches are also encouraged.

The service that NEPS provides to schools is one that supports schools to meet this continuum of need.

At one level, NEPS psychologists seeks to build the capacity of schools (at a systemic level) to support all pupils on this continuum of need, by promoting the use of universal preventative and early intervention approaches. They do this through the provision of training and professional development.

At another level NEPS psychologists consult with teachers to build their capacity to identify the emerging need of some pupils and put in place appropriate, workable interventions to address those needs. They do this through Teacher Consultation – either with individual teachers or with groups of teachers.

At a final level, NEPS psychologists work directly with pupils with greater need, and through assessment, consultation and review inform individualised interventions and support plans to address those needs. So the focus of NEPS assessment work is not on diagnosis per se, but on engaging with the child/young person, and with the teacher(s) and parents to identify and support need and delivery workable and appropriate interventions. This approach is in line with best international practice for an educational psychology service.

The Deputy will be aware that the NCSE has statutory responsibility for the allocation of 'low incident' resources. Low-incident diagnoses are largely made by HSE multi-disciplinary teams. NEPS has a role in relation to some low-incident diagnoses. The NCSE sets a deadline each year for receipt of applications for low-incident resource hours by school and NEPS participates in this process.

The overall needs-led process operated by NEPS, however, does not lend itself to the context in which the question is posed (i.e. a solely diagnosis-driven model) and the effect of engaging additional psychologists would be that of affording more time to individual schools to further support the full range of needs of the children and young people in the school.

For information NEPS psychologist numbers currently stand at 165 w.t.e, within a limit of 173 w.t.e. and the unit cost of a full-time psychologist is in the region of €70,000 per annum.