Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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512. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she intends to make funding available to trainee educational and child psychologists in 2023/2024, as is available to such trainees in 2022/2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54166/22]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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551. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will extend the recently announced decision to provide funding to a cohort of final-year psychology students in named colleges by contributing towards fees and expenses to second-year students, or to clarify whether NEPS will sponsor a cohort of trainees in the following academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54485/22]

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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574. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider extending the scheme to sponsor a cohort of third year educational psychologist trainees for the current academic year 2022/2023 to the next academic year 2023/2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54809/22]

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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597. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the members of the high-level working group chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Education which is examining the way in which the National Educational Psychological Service can continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified staff and continue to respond to the educational psychological needs of children in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55202/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 512, 551, 574 and 597 together.

The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department provides a school-based psychological service to all recognised primary and post-primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the wellbeing, and the academic, social and emotional development of all learners.

The NEPS service provides access for all schools to:

- Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident

- A Casework Service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment

- A school staff Support and Development Service, to build school capability to provide a comprehensive continuum of support in schools and

- Ongoing access to advice and support for schools.

This overall approach allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent individual cases and, through supporting school staff, to benefit many more children than could be seen individually.

A working group in the Department, chaired by the Secretary General, has been examining the matter of how the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) can continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified staff and continue to respond to the educational psychological needs of children in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country.

The group has agreed on a number of actions that must be taken to address supply issues in the medium to long term. These include the development of a workforce plan for educational psychologists within the Department of Education and work has begun with other Government Departments to advance this.

A number of options were considered to address some immediate supply issues. Following analysis of these, it was decided that the Department would use some available NEPS funding to sponsor a cohort of third year students of the Educational Psychology Doctoral programme in University College Dublin (UCD) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC) University of Limerick, for the academic year 2022/23 by providing a contribution towards their fees and associated expenses. The workforce planning group referred to above will be asked to make some interim recommendations in Q2 of next year regarding any other short-term measures required in advance of their final report. It is envisaged that funding supports for students on the educational psychological doctorate programme will be considered as part of this process.

In the interim, given the particular time pressures for students in third year of the programme, interviews will be held in the coming months to provide financial support to those students of Educational Psychology, currently on training placements in NEPS who are due to complete their doctoral training programme in 2023. Details will be made available in the coming weeks.