Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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269. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) will regain its previous access to a psychologist and referral service. [47119/22]

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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270. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the schools in County Longford which have been transitioned to the Mullingar National Educational Psychological Service. [47120/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 270 together.

NEPS is organised into eight regions nationally. Psychologists work within a regional and local office structure serving the needs of schools in their vicinity. The Sligo and Mullingar Offices are part of the one region – the North West/North Midlands Region. Psychologists are assigned to schools across the region. Where there is a vacancy, schools continue to have access to critical incident support, regional support and development and advisory support from NEPS which may include pupil casework service via the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA). In relation to the school referred to by the Deputy the assigned advisory psychologist is based in Mullingar and provides the same service as provided by the Sligo office. To note historically Longford schools have been served by either the Sligo or Mullingar office. Decisions in relation to service provision is dependent on staff capacity in local offices.

The school in question can contact the psychologist by email or phone, this work will typically involve responding to:

- school enquiries

- providing for or arranging in indirect casework service

- arranging for the provision of a direct service through a SCPA service allocation or through NEPS

- arranging for the provision of elements of a regional support and development service and/or critical incident support.