I propose to take Questions Nos. 538, 539 and 545 together.
All primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) that is administered by NEPS and full details of which are available on my Department's website.
In common with other psychological services, NEPS encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for 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. This allows the psychologists to offer early appointments to children who are in urgent need of support and early advice to teachers in respect of those children whose needs may be less significant but who still need additional help in school.
Children who manifest very special or urgent needs in school and who have not been previously assessed by a psychologist and are brought to the attention of a NEPS psychologist by the Principal teacher will usually be assessed by the psychologist within that school term. Normally, principals of schools prioritise those children in need of psychological assessment in consultation with the assigned psychologist.
In the case of schools that do not currently have dedicated NEPS psychologists assigned to them, as I have already mentioned, such schools have access to educational psychological assessments through the SCPA. Under this Scheme, schools can commission assessments from a member of the panel of private practitioners approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the fees directly to the psychologist concerned.
The figures requested by the Deputy regarding numbers of schools assigned to psychologists in NEPS are as provided below. However, in the case of the caseload for psychologists, the numbers refer to named children only and do not take into account the frequent discussions between school staff and psychologists in regard to other pupils of concern in schools or to special needs in general. In some cases where a full cognitive assessment is not undertaken, there may nevertheless be a considerable time investment by the psychologist.
Schools: Psychologists are assigned to schools on the basis of total school population, the geographical distribution of schools and on the basis of a weighting given to schools designated as disadvantaged. Therefore, the number of schools allocated to a psychologist in a highly urbanised area will differ from the number of schools allocated where there is a wide dispersal of small schools. In that context, an average figure is not meaningful. In urbanised areas the range in the number of schools can vary typically from 15 schools to 20 schools. In a rural area the range will vary between 25 and 40. These figures do not take into account psychologists availing of work sharing schemes where the numbers of schools are allocated accordingly.
Caseload: Statistical data is maintained on a school year basis. Those data indicate that in the 2004/2005 school year, NEPS psychologists consulted with schools in a total of 5,986 cases. Interventions included forms of assessment such as, full cognitive assessments, testing of attainments, classroom observations, discussion with parents/ guardians and teachers, liaison with outside agencies and subsequent follow-up. The figures for 2005/2006 are not finalised at this time but they will be available in September 2006.
NEPS also provides assistance to all schools and school communities that experience critical incidents, regardless of whether or not they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them. NEPS processes applications for Reasonable Accommodations in Certificate Examinations for all schools and responds to queries in relation to individual children from other sections of my Department and from the specialist agencies. NEPS also provides psychological services to schools for children with visual impairment and for children with hearing impairment.
The Public Appointments Service has concluded a new recruitment competition for the appointment of Educational Psychologists to NEPS. Regional panels have been established to allow my Department give greater priority in filling vacancies to areas with the greatest need. My Department is currently in the process of recruiting a further 9 psychologists.