Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy refers to the Kilkenny-Carlow Education Training Board Psychological Service. I wish to clarify that the education psychological service for all schools in the Kilkenny Carlow area is provided by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of the Department of Education.

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 schools and
• Ongoing access to advice and support for schools.

There are currently 225 whole-time equivalent NEPS educational psychologists employed across the 8 NEPS regions, delivering a psychological service to our schools. Kilkenny and Carlow are within the South East/Midlands region, there are currently 26 whole-time equivalent psychologists in the region. This region also includes all schools in Counties Wexford, Waterford, Laois and some schools in County Offaly.

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 Public Appointments Service (PAS) undertook 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.

The pay and non pay budget allocation for NEPS in is in the region of €25m. The final budget figure for 2024 will be available after the Revised Estimate process. However, there has been no reduction to the NEPS overall funding allocation from 2023 to 2024. In addition to the NEPS budget I was also pleased to announce that my Department has secured funding in Budget 2024 to continue the counselling in primary school pilot for an additional year, until June 2025.