Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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618.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are any plans to increase the National Educational Psychological Service allocation to schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34998/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools.

NEPS provides access for all schools to:

• Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident
• A casework service for individual students 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
• Ongoing access to advice and support for schools

The number of educational psychologists currently employed in NEPS stands at 228 whole time equivalents across six regions. This is the highest number employed in NEPS since it was established. Since the start of the 2023/24 school year, the NEPS service has expanded to all special schools, which is hugely important given the increased support needed for children in these settings.

In relation to workforce planning for the recruitment of educational psychologists, the Department has been actively exploring opportunities to increase the numbers of suitably qualified staff. This will strengthen the response to the educational psychological needs of children in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country. Since January 2023, NEPS has supported bursaries for Trainee Educational Psychologists who are enrolled in the University College Dublin Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Mary Immaculate College Limerick’s Professional Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology. Those in receipt of a bursary commit to joining NEPS upon graduation. There are over 60 Trainee Educational Psychologists in receipt of a bursary who are expected to join NEPS upon graduation, with an additional 14 to be bursaried from September 2024, bringing the total to 74.

Additionally, the Public Appointments Service commenced a recruitment campaign for Educational Psychologists at the end of 2023 and successful candidates from that panel are currently taking up positions in NEPS.

As NEPS numbers increase in the coming years it is planned to adjust the weighted model to ensure that the allocation of service time to schools is also increased.

In addition to the service outlined above, NEPS is leading on the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot. The pilot has two Strands. Strand 1 is the provision of one-to-one counselling to support a small number of children in all primary schools in counties Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan and Tipperary. Strand 2 of the pilot is the establishment of a new type of support to schools from Education Wellbeing Teams and the introduction of Education Wellbeing Practitioners to support clusters of schools in Cork, Carlow, Dublin 7 and Dublin 16.