National Educational Psychological Service Administration

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2015

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

Ceisteanna (553, 556)

Gerry Adams

Ceist:

553. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of psychologists employed by the National Educational Psychological Service on 1 January in each year from 2011 to 2015; the hours allocated to each county; and the costs in providing same. [26271/15]

Gerry Adams

Ceist:

556. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of providing psychological services for children with additional needs for the years 2011 to 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26274/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 553 and 556 together.

I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology services 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-oriented 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 psychologists also provide a range of advisory and training services to teachers supporting the educational, social and emotional development of pupils at a whole-school, class and individual level. Additionally, NEPS psychologists process applications for all post-primary schools nationally on behalf of State Examinations Commission (SEC) for students with Specific Learning Disabilities for Reasonable Accommodations in the Leaving Certificate examination and provide support, upon request, to schools experiencing critical incidents.

NEPS Psychologists are allocated schools based on a weighting process which takes into account school size, type, DEIS status, gender mix, geographical spread and the presence of special unit and classes.

NEPS Psychologists hold planning meeting with their assigned schools at the commencement of each academic year to discuss and agree the schools' priority needs and their particular programme of service for the year and this will vary to a degree according to the order and complexity of those needs. Service delivery to schools, as described above may be, according to the dictates of staff maternity or sick leave for example, a mixture of NEPS staff support and SCPA.

Furthermore NEPS is regionally structured with 22 offices nationally serving the needs of schools in their respective catchment areas which can and do commonly cross county boundaries, staff in these offices may also aggregate service across a cluster of schools (for training programmes) and so it is unfeasible to disaggregate overall service in terms cost or time-input by school or county nor does NEPS attempt to do so.

For the Deputy's information, therefore, at Appendix A, there is an outlay by county of the cumulative school pupil coverage and aggregate workload assigned to NEPS psychologists based on the weighting process described above.

At Appendix B there is a breakdown of the psychologist staffing numbers for 2011 to 2015 (as of 1st January of each year) and the overall expenditure by NEPS in providing service for the same period.

My Department remains committed to the maintenance of the NEPS service to schools and I can inform the Deputy that current NEPS psychologist staffing numbers stand at 183 (172 w.t.e.), including 5 temporary posts, the highest level since the establishment of the Service in 1999. Furthermore the process of engaging three additional psychologists is nearing completion.

APPENDIX A

Breakdown by County and Academic Year of Pupil and cumulative School Weighting Points workload assigned to NEPS Psychologists

-	2010-11	-	2011-12	-	2012-13	-	2013-14	-	2014-15	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
County	Pupils	Points	Pupils	Points	Pupils	Points	Pupils	Points	Pupils	Points
Carlow	11,294	19,495	11,858	20,798	11,932	20,901	12,253	21,785	12,459	22,659
Cavan	10,438	18,664	12,217	21,893	12,389	22,158	14,114	26,652	14,387	27,475
Clare	13,271	24,763	19,996	38,140	20,247	38,270	21,826	41,379	21,561	41,042
Cork	73,309	124,215	86,865	149,751	85,791	144,076	96,235	166,747	98,098	172,168
Donegal	27,070	52,270	30,372	61,758	24,768	51,681	29,980	61,566	30,303	62,838
Dublin	103,158	198,955	108,922	210,874	111,508	216,131	115,888	219,142	118,141	225,260
Dublin Mid/Lein	71,445	126,844	68,346	126,815	78,568	140,011	79,375	139,704	80,674	143,150
Galway	40,875	77,161	45,956	74,012	40,253	75,691	45,470	86,242	46,730	88,023
Kerry	25,048	45,212	25,435	45,778	25,773	46,378	25,952	46,444	26,145	47,086
Kildare	40,233	67,437	40,790	68,713	41,659	69,609	44,175	74,298	45,122	76,423
Kilkenny	13,085	21,722	15,356	27,279	15,129	26,432	16,828	29,766	17,110	30,615
Laois	9,091	16,103	14,570	27,548	6,900	11,794	15,462	27,480	15,556	28,014
Leitrim	5,697	11,349	5,834	11,584	5,908	11,334	5,966	11,151	6,040	11,468
Limerick	26,056	45,106	31,962	55,629	31,720	55,420	35,910	61,252	36,574	62,999
Longford	6,988	13,070	7,764	15,280	6,202	12,250	8,485	16,351	8,673	16,925
Louth	17,545	34,402	21,379	40,837	21,778	41,347	26,700	48,228	27,604	49,729
Mayo	18,748	37,147	23,816	47,722	23,788	47,593	24,440	49,255	24,235	49,426
Meath	20,126	33,150	29,166	47,362	23,777	39,418	37,188	60,785	38,275	63,053
Monaghan	10,621	17,631	10,845	17,951	10,983	18,149	12,502	22,136	12,628	22,707
Offaly	13,620	23,741	14,664	25,905	14,836	26,160	14,971	27,554	15,553	29,634
Roscommon	6,286	13,067	10,308	22,636	10,275	22,377	10,310	22,515	10,238	22,516
Sligo	11,140	21,241	11,235	21,181	11,319	21,360	11,458	21,532	11,770	22,211
Tipperary NR	8,361	14,667	8,655	15,157	8,790	15,345	14,158	24,039	14,685	25,486
Tipperary SR	14,329	25,026	6,801	12,641	8,152	14,253	16,512	28,915	16,600	29,813
Waterford	17,594	30,637	22,460	39,978	22,074	39,508	22,924	39,699	23,270	40,195
Westmeath	17,395	29,107	17,335	30,278	14,820	25,749	18,665	32,029	18,854	32,746
Wexford	23,392	42,137	26,814	49,276	28,695	53,667	29,157	53,953	29,675	55,229
Wicklow	24,551	42,744	23,272	41,120	25,598	44,224	26,259	45,119	27,016	47,041
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	680,766	1,227,063	752,993	1,367,894	743,632	1,351,287	833,163	1,505,715	847,976	1,545,930

Notes: 10,000 School Weighting Points are the equivalent of 1 w.t.e. NEPs psychologist providing some 180 days service p.a. to their assigned schools.

APPENDIX B

Number of Psychologists employed by NEPS by Year (both individual and Whole-Time Equivalent) and Cost of NEPS Service 2010 – 2015

Year	No. individual	W.T.E.	Cost of NEPS Service
2010	153	146.9	€16,656,507
2011	165	158.9	€17,762,579
2012	173	166	€17,261,192
2013	171	162.8	€17,436,752
2014	177	168.1	€17,036,733
2015	177	166.9	€18,075,000

Notes: Staff numbers at 1st January of each Year. Expenditure based on calendar year out-turn for NEPS budget (Pay & Non-Pay) except for current year which relates to annual allocation. Staffing numbers have increased since 1/1/15 to 183 (172 w.t.e.), including 5 temporary posts.