Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 May 2017
199. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if NEPS, National Educational Psychological Service, has a policy with regard to assessing younger siblings if a child has been diagnosed with a learning difficulty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24008/17]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases receive assessment services through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Under this scheme schools can have a student 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.
In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS has adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem solving and solution focused consultative approach to maximise positive outcomes for these pupils. NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Teachers may consult their NEPS psychologist should they need to at this stage in the process. Only in the event of a failure to make reasonable progress, in spite of the school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, will the psychologist become involved with an individual child for intensive intervention or assessment. This system allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.
NEPS does not have a policy of automatically assessing siblings of children diagnosed with a learning difficulty. The process applied and described above provides for a critical appraisal of a pupil’s educational, social and emotional development and where concerns are raised by parents or school staff (including that of a sibling’s diagnosis), for an appropriate response and intervention by school and NEPS staff.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
