Written answers
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Department of Education and Skills
National Educational Psychological Service
Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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436. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of NEPS psychologists employed and working in the system to date. [37754/25]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank Deputy O'Rourke for his question regarding my department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
It may be helpful to first outline the work of the service. NEPS provides educational psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools.
NEPS provides all schools with:
- 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),
- the 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,
- and an advisory service to schools where a psychologist is not available due to a vacancy.
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.
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