Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

294. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the €2.5 million allocated to the ten additional national educational psychological services, NEPS, psychologists and new pilot scheme for in school speech and language therapists as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds were spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24302/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I recently announced that a demonstration project to provide in-school and pre-school therapy services will be introduced for the 2018/19 school year.

The project will be managed and co-ordinated by the National Council for Special Education

The model has been developed by the Departments of Education, Children and Youth Affairs, Health, and the Health Service Executive, and is part of the Government’s overall aim to help every child to fulfil their full potential.

The purpose of the project is to test a model of tailored therapeutic supports that allows for early intervention in terms of providing speech and language and occupational therapy within ‘educational settings’. This innovative pilot will complement existing HSE funded provision of essential therapy services.

75 schools, including a representative sample of primary, post primary, and special schools will take part in the project. 75 pre-schools will also participate giving 150 settings.

The project is taking place in Community Healthcare Organisation 7 Region of South West Dublin, Kildare and West Wicklow and the schools selected will therefore be from this region.

As part of the programme, 19 speech and language therapists and 12 Occupational Therapists are being recruited by the HSE to work with the 150 schools and pre-schools. The NCSE will also recruit 2 National Co-ordinators to manage the project.

This recruitment process is ongoing and the bulk of expenditure under this project will occur once the posts are in place and salary costs for post holders arise.

€2.25m is being allocated to Phase One of the project in 2018, however, the actual expenditure on the in-school therapy services project in 2018 will not be known until financial reporting has been completed at the end of 2018.

I am also pleased to confirm that provision was made within the Budget 2018 for the employment of an additional 10 psychologist staff within my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) with effect in the coming academic year.

The recruitment of these staff has already commenced utilising regional panels maintained by the Public Appointments Service (PAS). Arrangements are in hand with the PAS to shortly put in place a new recruitment competition to replenish these panels sufficient to complete this process and to service the ongoing recruitment needs of the NEPS into the future.

The full year cost of this 10 post expansion will be in the region of €0.7m. This will bring the overall complement of NEPS Psychologists to some 194 whole-time equivalents, the highest level since the Service’s inception, allowing for a broadening and deepening of the service provided to schools and underpinning my Department’s and this Government’s commitment to supporting an effective educational psychological service.