Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 May 2010
223 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills when a date will be set for an educational psychology assessment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19734/10]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Where a NEPS psychologist is not assigned to a school, authorities therein may access psychological assessments through SCPA. Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.
It should also be noted that in common with many other psychological services, NEPS encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for a pupil's initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the school's best efforts, will a child be referred for individual psychological assessment. It is the responsibility of the school Principal in the first instance to identify and prioritise pupils for assessment under the process described above.
I have made enquiries in relation to the child referred to in this question and can inform the Deputy that the normal preparatory arrangements have already been put in place between school authorities and the assigned NEPS psychologist in relation to his assessment. These arrangements are currently being finalised and it is envisaged that the child will be seen by that psychologist during June 2010, at a date and time to be agreed with parents and the school.
