Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

138. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to expand the National Educational Psychological Service to support an increased number of assessments each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31233/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual pupil casework where there is need via a NEPS psychologist.

My department is making every effort to recruit additional educational psychologists. 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. This has also been extended to students enrolled in Maynooth Universities professional doctorate in educational psychology.

Those in receipt of a bursary commit to joining NEPS upon graduation. There are over 70 Trainee Educational Psychologists in receipt of a bursary who are expected to join NEPS upon graduation.

The Public Appointments Service recently advertised a recruitment campaign for Educational Psychologists recently and successful candidates should be appointed shortly.