Thank you, for allowing me to raise this serious and difficult educational topic. I would prefer to put my points to the Minister for Education although I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Allen, is a very able Deputy.
Adjournment Debate. - School Psychological Service.
I will do my best.
Is the Minister of State aware of the difficulties experienced by families whose children have been debarred from school because of disruptive behaviour and the serious lack of back-up facilities for the schools, the parents and the students involved? Because of the lack of such facilities, many schools refuse entry to certain students and that has inevitable knock-on effects.
The Green Paper on Education stated that the problem of erratic behaviour, which is serious in some schools, and of disruptive behaviour, have a variety of causes which must be looked at in a caring and concerned way. We must create a more supportive environment. To alleviate adverse factors will require co-ordinated efforts by all concerned including health and social welfare agencies, the Garda Síochána, local communities, parents and educational interests.
One of the main supports for students and parents should be the school psychological service. What has happened at national school level this year in particular will not give any solace because the Eastern Health Board, in the absence of the Department of Education taking on responsibility for psycho-educational assessments, has operated under the following constraints.
First, referrals are to be made only through area medical officers, that is, school doctors, speech and language therapists or social workers who have already conducted a preliminary assessment of the child. Referrals through the local general practitioner will not be accepted. Second, teachers who are concerned about the academic performance of a child should prepare a report on the child describing his or her main difficulties. That written report must be presented to the school doctor when he or she screens children in the school. Referrals will no longer be processed without this written school report. Third, in order to ensure that an efficient effective service is provided for children with special needs, children experiencing a mild delay in the acquisition of reading, writing and spelling skills should not be referred for assessment if they have access to remedial facilities within their school. Parental consent must be sought before a referral is processed through the school doctor or other referral agents. Parents should also be informed of the waiting list and the fact that they will not be offered a second appointment if their initial appointment is defaulted.
Everything militates against a child being helped. In some cases, it can take up to three years before a child is attended to. So much, therefore, for early intervention. Every educationalist and every parent knows how essential intervention is in dealing with these difficulties. There is not any back-up services at secondary level. There is a huge gap in the services available to our children. The rhetoric of commitment to equality of treatment in education is empty unless there is a co-ordinated psychological service available to all schools independent of the health boards. This is essential at second level. It is not good enough to direct schools to have their own code of discipline without ensuring adequate supports are in place. Can the Minister of State give an assurance that these difficulties will be addressed?
The Minister for Education recently introduced a pilot scheme under which special counsellor teacher posts have been allocated to assist certain schools in addressing difficulties with disruptive pupils. A total of 27 counsellor teacher posts have been allocated under this initiative to schools serving disadvantaged areas. This pilot scheme has been introduced in Dublin inner city schools and also in schools in the Tallaght and Clondalkin areas.
The House and the Deputy will be aware that the report of my Department's Working Group on Truancy was published in April 1994. One of the issues highlighted in that report was suspensions and expulsions from schools and the working group made a number of recommendations on this matter.
Since the publication of the truancy report, my Department has received a range of submissions from interested parties on the measures which should now be taken to address this difficult area.
In keeping with its commitment to address the problems of truancy and early drop-out, the Minister of State, Deputy Currie, has been given special responsibility for this area by the Government. The House will be aware that as a first step in the process of addressing this problem, the Minister of State Deputy Currie announced the establishment of a task force within the Department. The terms of reference assigned to that task force are to examine the submissions received from interested parties in response to the report on truancy, and to consider and make recommendations as to future action required to address the problem of truancy at first and second level.
It is expected that the task force will furnish its report to the Minister of State, Deputy Currie, shortly. At that stage, it may be necessary to broaden the forum in which the issues involved are discussed and to involve a range of Departments and agencies in addressing the problem.
It is evident from the truancy report, that truancy, non-school attendance and related matters are complex issues that demand a comprehensive solution. Minister of State, Deputy Currie, believes that this solution can best be achieved by a mix of legislative, administrative, educational and social measures.
With reference to the school psychological service, the Minister for Education has given a commitment to extend such a service to primary schools generally on a phased basis. Progress is being made to fulfil this commitment. There was a pilot development of a psychological service to primary schools between 1990 and 1993 in two designated areas, west Tallaght-Clondalkin in Dublin and in south Tipperary. When the pilot phase ended in 1993 the service in the two areas was established on a permanent basis.
Subsequently, the Minister announced her intention to begin to extend the school psychological service to primary schools generally. This extension has begun now with the recruitment of nine additional psychologists earlier this year. As a result, it has proved possible to begin the development of a psychological service to primary schools in three new areas in Dublin: Dublin north west, Dublin central north and in Dublin central south. In addition, services have begun in Cork city and in Limerick city. In extending the school psychological service, priority is being given to schools serving disadvantaged areas.
It is hoped to recruit further psychologists later this year to continue the development. The number recruited will, of course, be limited by the resources the Government is able to provide for the purpose and by the availability of suitably qualified personnel.
The White Paper on Education, Charting our Education Future, recognises the fundamental importance of an effective system of assessment to ensure the earliest possible identification of pupils with special needs. Although some children will have been identified as having special needs before commencing school, the classroom teacher carries the major responsibility for identifying and responding to learning difficulties.
The White Paper also states that all primary schools will be required to develop a policy on assessment within the framework of the school plan. The role of the school psychological service is to support teachers and schools in developing their assessments where such is required and to advise teachers and parents on the help and support which pupils with special needs require.
In future, as envisaged in the White Paper, the provision of school psychological services will be one of the functions assigned to the regional education boards. In the meantime, and while the establishment of these boards is being prepared, the development of the school psychological service will proceed on a phased basis. The existing school psychological service to post-primary schools will also be maintained. However, in due course, there will be a fully integrated psychological service right through primary and post-primary school.
In the meantime, the responsibility for arranging psychological assessment for primary school pupils will remain with the regional health boards, in areas where the school psychological service has not yet been developed. The extension of the school psychological service should be of benefit to the health authorities in reducing the demand for psychological assessments for educational purposes. It will also mean that the school psychological service will be available to pupils, teachers and parents in their own schools. This will bring the service much closer to those needing it.
The development in the recent past, with the plans for the future, will result in a well-functioning, readily available, comprehensive school psychological service in the future. This is a development which has been thought necessary for many years past.