Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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259. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason that a number of schools (details supplied) in County Kerry are being left without a National Psychological Educational Service facility for the 2022-2023 academic year; if a psychologist will be recruited from the existing panel to fill the existing vacancy in Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49401/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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 where there is need via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA).

NEPS, in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, 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 maximise 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 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. Where reasonable progress is not made, following a school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, a psychologist will 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.

The two schools to which the Deputy refers continue to have access to NEPS for critical incident support, for regional support and development service and also to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries, through the local NEPS office. In relation to a casework service, both schools may access a casework service, where there is need, via psychologists on the SCPA panel. The local NEPS office is available to discuss any other requirements the schools may have.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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260. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of National Educational Psychological Service psychologist positions serving primary and post primary schools in every county in tabular form; the number of vacancies in each county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49409/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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 where there is need via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA).

NEPS, in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, 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 maximise 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 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. Where reasonable progress is not made, following a school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, a psychologist will 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.

I can inform the Deputy that the number of educational psychologists currently employed in NEPS stands at 225 whole-time equivalents across the eight NEPS regions, having grown from a base of 173 in 2014.

I recently announced an additional 54 educational psychologists to provide services to special schools and special classes as part of Budget 2023.

My Department is conscious of recruitment challenges which exist in terms of educational psychologists, and has established a high-level working group, chaired by the Secretary General, to consider how best to support educational psychologists and to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of psychologists available to the education sector.