Vol. 544 No. 5
179 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding an application from a school (details supplied) in Dublin 8 regarding a child psychologist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29466/01]
The National Educational Psychological Service is expanding to further schools as additional psychologists are appointed. As a feature of this expansion, NEPS expects to become increasingly involved in the special education area, in collaboration with the psychological services provided by the health boards and by voluntary bodies.
Until recently a psychological service was provided to the school named in the question by a voluntary body under the aegis of the Eastern Health Board. This service was withdrawn by the voluntary body from September 2001 due to heavy demands being made elsewhere. The NEPS regional director responsible for the area has already entered into discussions with the school authorities about this matter. While NEPS is unable to replace this service at the moment due to insufficient staffing in the region, recruitment is in progress and it is hoped that it will be possible to expand its service in the region during the new year. As a short-term measure psychologists in the region will deal with urgent assessment work in the school.
The children in the school have complex needs and many of them will need support from both clinical and educational psychologists. NEPS will consult the relevant clinical agencies and the special education section in my Department in order to ensure that the children receive the support they need.
