Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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1094. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of mental health professionals currently working directly in post-primary schools; if her Department has costed the expansion of in school counselling and therapeutic supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41785/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 advertised a recruitment campaign for Educational Psychologists recently and successful candidates should be appointed shortly.

In 2023 the establishment of a €5m pilot programme of counselling and mental health supports for primary schools was announced. In Budget 2025, the pilot received additional funding.

The pilot is currently being externally evaluated by the Centre for Effective Services. It is anticipated that an evaluation report will be completed by autumn 2025. Through this evaluation we are confident that we will gather valuable learning that will inform future policy and provision in this area.