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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 21 Nov 2000

Vol. 526 No. 3

Written Answers. - Psychological Service.

David Stanton

Question:

119 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of educational psychologists employed by his Department catering for second level schools; the number of schools each psychologist has to visit in his or her area; the number of students, in total, in these schools; the number of students typically that each psychologist deals with on an individual basis each year; the plans he has to improve the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26499/00]

The National Educational Psychological Service Agency, NEPS, provides a psychological service to all second level schools, excluding those served by the two vocational education committees for the city and county of Dublin, who each have their own psychological service. There were 353,860 students in second level schools in the school year 1999-2000.

During the school year 1999-2000, the average number of second level students met for the purpose of individual casework was 89 per psychologist. Twenty-six additional psychologists have been appointed to NEPS between 4 September and 20 October. They are currently engaged in a programme of induction training and will shortly be assigned to schools.
The management committee of NEPS submitted a draft development plan to me in April of this year. Under the terms of this plan, newly appointed psychologists will be deployed as follows: approximately two-thirds of their time will be devoted to expansion of the service in the primary sector and approximately one-third to the improvement of the level of service in the second-level sector. Recruitment to NEPS will continue until a full complement of educational psychologists has been reached. Over this period student ratios will be systematically reduced and by the end of the development period most NEPS psychologists will be serving approximately 5,000 students.
These steps were taken to address the current situation where 17 NEPS psychologists are deployed exclusively in the post-primary sector. Five more psychologists, who mainly work in the primary sector, also serve a number of post-primary schools. A number of the 17 psychologists also have managerial responsibilities. The number of schools assigned to each psychologist ranges therefore from 18 to 54, the average number of schools per psychologist being 39.
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