Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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.

The number of educational psychologists currently employed in NEPS stands at 240 which is a whole time equivalent of 234 across six regions. This is the highest number employed in NEPS since it was established. NEPS has sanction for 271 whole time equivalent posts. Currently four members of staff are on long-term sick leave and eleven on maternity leave.

Where schools do 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. Such schools continue to have access to critical incident response, advisory support, and support and development training delivered by their local NEPS team. Individual assessments for students in these schools are available via the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA).

In relation to the recruitment of educational psychologists, the Department has been 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 74 Trainee Educational Psychologists in receipt of a bursary who are expected to join NEPS upon graduation.

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. It is expected that a further recruitment competition will be commenced by the Public Appointments Service early in 2025 and planning for this competition is already underway within the Department.

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.