James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the schools in County Wexford that do not have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them in tabular form. [5352/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual pupil casework via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments. (SCPA).

I can inform the Deputy that all schools in Co. Wexford have an assigned NEPS psychologist in the current academic year. However two psychologists assigned to schools in Wexford have recently commenced maternity leave. While these staff are absent arrangements have been made through the NEPS Wexford office to provide the 28 school involved with the above described range of services including access to a named NEPS psychologist to respond to queries arising and to the SCPA scheme to answer their ongoing individual casework needs.