Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department provides a comprehensive, school-based psychological service to all primary and post primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the wellbeing, academic, social and emotional development of all learners. NEPS provides its service to schools through casework and through support and development work for schools. Individual casework service involves a high level of psychologist collaboration with teachers and parents, often also working directly with the child/young person.  NEPS may become involved with supporting individual students where the school’s Special Education Teaching team or Student Support Team feels that the involvement of the psychologist is needed. Psychologists may provide consultation in relation to appropriate therapeutic interventions to be delivered in the school setting and engage in direct work with an individual student as appropriate.

NEPS’ sanctioned psychologist numbers have grown from a base of 173 whole-time equivalent psychologists (w.t.e.) in 2016, through the intervening Budget increases in 2017-2019 to 204 w.t.e. psychologist posts.   This Government remains firmly committed to the maintenance of a robust and effective educational psychological service.  In this connection, as part of a package of measures to support the reopening of our schools the provision of an additional seventeen psychologist posts to NEPS was announced bringing overall sanctioned numbers to 221 w.t.e. psychologist posts. 

Currently NEPS has 206 w.t.e. psychologist.  NEPS is actively recruiting to achieve sanctioned numbers in NEPS.  The Department has engaged with the Public Appointments Service who are planning a recruitment compeition for NEPS in Q2 of 2021.