Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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67. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 168 of 11 October 2016, if he will indicate of the 7,924 pupils with which National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, undertook casework, including assessments of, the number that relates to assessments only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31093/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware NEPS psychologists, as part of the continuum of services offered to schools, may become directly involved with pupils, offering service to identify need, appropriate intervention, and to monitor and review progress.  This may or may not involve direct assessment of the pupil, depending on whether or not an assessment is needed to inform case formulation and appropriate intervention. 

With regard to the 7,925 referrals for individual casework undertaken by NEPS psychologists, during the 2015/16 academic year, some 5,765 of these pupils underwent direct assessment as part of the involvement of the psychologist. 

The input for the remainder of the referrals, in this period, involved ongoing consultation by the psychologist with school staff, parents and other agencies, case conferences/meetings and onward referral processes with clinical support services in order to address pupil need and ensure improved outcomes for that pupil.