Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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489. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of NEPS assessments that have been carried out per school in 2016 and to date in 2017; the maximum number of NEPS assessments permitted per school per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27186/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware 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.

NEPS does not set maxima in relation to assessments or direct input in relation to individual pupils allowable to schools per se but 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 maximize 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.

I set out below for the Deputies information an average per school of individual student referrals undertaken by NEPS psychologists during 2016 and to date in 2017.  Additionally I include similar data for SCPA assessments commissioned in these periods.

I would however caution that the NEPS referral data is not complete as many NEPS referrals for the 2016/17 academic year will not be uploaded to the database until the upcoming summer recess and that similarly the count for SCPA assessments for 2017 is based on those to date submitted for payment by the SCPA panelist rather than the count of assessments undertaken to date.

I can inform the Deputy that this Government and my Department is committed to supporting the growth of is National Educational Psychological Service to support schools in their support of pupils and particularly those with special need.  The Programme for Government commits to expanding NEPS psychologist numbers from its current limit 0f 173 w.t.e posts to 238 in the lifetime of this Government.  As an initial step in realising this ambition I am pleased to say the during 2017 an additional 10 NEPS psychologist are being currently recruited by my Department to be in place by the commencement of the coming academic year to add to the supports provided by this service to schools.

Average Number of individual pupil Referrals/Assessments per school in 2016 and 2017