Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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317. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of expanding the north east inner city multidisciplinary teams model to include five more schools. [42409/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to supporting a quality and inclusive school system that provides an equal opportunity at success for all children, including those at risk of educational disadvantage.

The North East Inner City Multidisciplinary Team (NEIC MDT) comprises Educational Psychologists from my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and Health Service Executive (HSE) Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and a Psychologist.

This project is an interagency collaboration between my Department and the HSE which provides a multidisciplinary team to ten NEIC DEIS Band 1 primary schools. The NEIC MDT provide school staff, children and families access to on-site Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Psychology; it also offers psychology support to families through the HSE Psychologist on the team. The MDT provide a wraparound service including preventative work, early intervention, assessment and therapeutic intervention, to support all children, school staff and families.

The MDT team provides a needs-based school service that responds to the presenting issues for each child, their family and school.

My Department provides funding for 2.8 Whole Time Equivalent NEPS psychologists at a cost of some €240,000 per annum. The other posts are funded by the HSE. The cost to my Department of extending the MDT to include five more primary schools would be additional €112,000 approximately per annum.