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 and special schools.

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 via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA).
• A school staff Support and Development Service, to build school capability to provide a comprehensive continuum of support in schoolsand
• Ongoing access to advice and support for schools.

Where a school does not have an assigned psychologist due to a vacancy, a psychologist from the local NEPS team undertakes the role of advisory psychologist to respond to queries that the school may have. The schools continue to have access to support and development work delivered by the local team, critical incident response, advisory support and pupil casework via the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA). The school referred to by the Deputy has access to an advisory psychologist.

Officials in my Department have been examining the matter of how 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.

Since January of this year, NEPS is supporting bursaries for students who are enrolled in the University College Dublin (UCD) Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology and the Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick’s Professional Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology for Trainee Educational Psychologists. Those in receipt of a bursary commit to joining NEPS upon graduation. As of September 2023 there are 62 Trainee Educational Psychologists in receipt of a bursary from NEPS who are expected will fill a vacancy in NEPS upon graduation, over the next three years.

The Department is also engaging at a Cross-Departmental Level on workforce planning for psychologists in general in Ireland. This work is being coordinated by the Department of Health.

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) commenced a recruitment campaign for Educational Psychologists for NEPS earlier this year. Interviews have taken place, and panels of psychologists have been created. My Department is actively engaging with PAS to maximise the numbers of psychologists being recruited.