Vol. 506 No. 4
9 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many students are rationed in the number of psychological assessments which they can have carried out; and if he will make funds available to permit these assessments to be obtained privately if the public service cannot cope. [15532/99]
This is an area to which the Government has given real priority as can be seen by the pace of recent developments.
At present my Department provides a psychological service to all second level schools and to approximately 725 primary schools. Each psychologist is assigned a number of schools and aims to divide the available time equitably between them. In the primary sector, particularly, psychologists indicate to school principals the likely number of visits to the school that may be undertaken during the current school year. It can happen, therefore, in some schools, that the number of children being presented for assessment may be too great to be dealt with during the allocated time.
However, an important part of the psychologist's work is to assist principals and teachers to develop procedures for screening, identifying and prioritising those students who are most in need of help. In this way the psychologist is able to estimate the numbers of students in each school who may need psychological intervention. This may lead to adjustments in the amount of time that is allocated to each.
It should also be noted that the assessment of children is only one part of the psychologist's work. Some schools may consider that other needs are more urgent and may prefer to use the psychologist's time in a different way, for example, by their assistance in the development of remedial programmes or anti-bullying programmes.
The situation in relation to psychological assessments is kept under review by the management of the psychological service so that appropriate action may be taken if there is a serious difficulty about meeting the needs. A review of demand this year led to the conclusion that there would not be sufficient time available before the summer break to assess certain students whose needs were urgent. My Department therefore invited tenders from qualified psychologists to carry out a number of psychological assessments. Since mid-May a number of contract psychologists carried out assessments in all areas of the country. It is expected that about 180 additional psychological assessments of students, at primary and second level, who had already been referred to the psychological service, will have been completed by the end of June.
My Department will continue to monitor demand for, and the availability of, psychologists to carry out assessments. However, the Government has decided to make a major commitment to the development of psychological services for our schools. One of my key priorities as Minister has been the establishment of a National Educational Psychological Service Agency, to be available to all schools at both levels. On Thursday, 11 February, I announced Government approval for the establishment of the agency within my Department. It will be solely dedicated to providing an accessible and readily available psychological service to schools at both levels. The Civil Service Commission has begun the process of recruiting 25 additional psychologists, who should take up their appointments in the agency during the school year 1999-2000. A further 25 will be recruited during the year 2000. These new appointments will make a significant improvement in the availability of psychological support to school children.
Is the Minister aware that many school principals in Dublin are paying privately for four to five assessments and that if one replicates that across the country one is talking about thousands of private assessments? Will he make a budget available for the schools to pay for this rather than mediating everything through the Department, which will inevitably slow matters down?
Does the Minister agree that a school principal should not have to make an impossible choice between two children, both of whom have significant needs, and decide which child will be given the psychological assessment which is the gateway to resources? The Minister should allow schools some freedom rather than perpetuate his present highly centralised approach.
I agree that we need more resources. The use of contract psychologists to clear the backlog of cases indicates a different approach. I am conscious that a backlog has arisen and this is unsatisfactory and unacceptable. I accept Deputy Bruton's point regarding the quandary in which many principals find themselves and I do not wish them to be in that position. However, it is necessary to have standardised procedures throughout the country.
I am prepared to provide increased funding for measures such as the use of contract psychologists. At this stage, I am not in favour of giving each school a sum of money to spend.
Does the Minister accept that in the past parents did not wish their children to be stigmatised by being given psychological assessments when no remedial support was available? A remedial service will be provided to every school in the country from September next and this will create an increased demand for psychological assessments. An educational psychologist has not been provided for any primary schools in County Donegal and second level schools in the county share one psychologist with County Sligo. Given that many of my constituents are obliged to go to Northern Ireland to avail of psychological services for their children, will the Minister consider the urgent provision of an adequate psychological assessment service for County Donegal?
County Donegal has been neglected for many years although I have increased services – and particularly remedial services – to the county during my time as Minister. I have left it to the inspectorate and the planning group to determine where the 25 additional psychologists will be assigned but I will examine the provision of the psychological assessment service in County Donegal. I anticipate a difficulty in recruiting qualified personnel throughout the country and this difficulty may have an impact on the location of psychologists.
Does the Minister believe it is acceptable that an educational psychologist's assessment of a second level student should be given directly to the pupil when a parent or teacher is not present? I have made the Department aware that this has happened. Does the Minister believe such a situation is acceptable?
I do not. I am surprised to hear that such a thing has happened. When one is dealing with children, their parents or guardians should be present.
