Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 February 2019
281. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a full psychological service will be restored to a school (details supplied); the reason for the delay in same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7026/19]
View answerMy Department’s National Educational Psychological Service provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual pupil casework via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA).
All mainstream schools in Galway City and County receive a service from NEPS psychologists based in the Galway Office. As the Deputy may be aware there were two psychologist vacancies in this office, all schools continue to have access to support and development, critical incident and advisory support from NEPS and pupil casework via their assigned psychologist or via SCPA. The school to which the Deputy refers in his question has heretofore, in this academic year, been in receipt of assessment services via SCPA.
I can inform the Deputy that a new recruit, sourced from the recruitment panels administered by the Public Appointments Service, took up office in Galway in early January. I understand that a meeting has taken place recently with the school in question, the NEPS Regional Director and the new psychologist, preparatory to her taking up her assigned duties with the school following a short period of induction to the service.
For the Deputy’s information a candidate for the second staffing vacancy has been identified through PAS and a start date agreed in the next two months.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
