National Educational Psychological Service

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 February 2017

Thursday, 9 February 2017

Ceisteanna (84)

Brian Stanley

Ceist:

84. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the names and locations of the 24 schools in County Laois which are without access to a NEPS psychologist. [6417/17]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

As the Deputy may be aware my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides an educational psychological service to schools through the direct assignment of a NEPS psychologist and in some cases by providing schools access to the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) where 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. SCPA is utilised, in the main, where as yet unfilled vacancies exist in NEPS staffing provision locally or where staffing resource is lost through extended leave (maternity, sick or carer’s leave)

I attach for the Deputy’s information a list of schools who currently derive this service through the above mentioned SCPA scheme rather than through a NEPS psychologist. In the case of these schools, NEPS psychologists may no longer be assigned to those schools as a result of retirement, resignation or transfer to another NEPS region. 

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) maintains regional recruitment panels of qualified personnel to fill these vacancies. During 2016, despite my Department's best efforts the panels did not produce recruits for NEPS in relation to all vacancies, the panels were therefore closed.

A new national recruitment competition was put in place last Autumn by PAS to fill all vacancies within all NEPS Regions.  The resulting interview process associated with this competition was completed last week and recruitment panels for each NEPS region, including Dublin, will now be formed.  PAS will finalise the processing of the candidates, including Garda vetting, and propose each candidate in series to my Department Human Resources Section for contract negotiations and formal job offer.

It is envisaged that the process will produce new NEPS psychologists for assignment to schools, including that to which the Deputy refers in his question, by the end of the current academic year.

However it is important to point out that in cases where NEPS service is not available through staffing vacancy or temporary absence of staff, as described above, the schools affected continue to have access to a psychologist through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments to undertake pupil assessment work.

I would also confirm that all schools are able to access full NEPS supports in the event of a critical incident irrespective of their having ongoing access to an assigned NEPS psychologist or not.

List of Co. Louth Schools who do not currently have access to a NEPS Psychologist to undertake pupils assessment but who have instead access to the SCPA Scheme for this purpose.

07/02/2017
Roll No.	Region	County	School	Address 1	Address 2	Address 3		Address 4
01556F	Primary	South-East	SCOIL BHRIDE	BALLYROAN	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOIS		1
07442U	Primary	South-East	St Josephs National School	BORRIS IN OSSORY	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOIS		1
07636K	Primary	South-East	ST FINTANS N S	NEW LINE ROAD	MOUNTRATH	CO LAOIS		1
10544W	Primary	South-East	COSBY N S	STRADBALLY	CO LAOIS			1
13173F	Primary	South-East	PADDOCK N S	PADDOCK	MOUNTRATH	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOIS	1
13386W	Primary	South-East	S N AN CHROI RO NAOFA	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOIS			1
13741Q	Primary	South-East	RATH MIXED N S	RATH	BALLYBRITTAS	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOIS	1
16070K	Primary	South-East	MOUNTMELLICK BOYS N S	MOUNTMELLICK	CO LAOIS			1
16667W	Primary	South-East	TOBAR AN LEINN	RAHEEN	MOUNTRATH	CO LAOIS		1
17084D	Primary	South-East	CILL AN IUBHAIR N S	CILL AN IUBHAIR	MOUNTRATH	CO LAOIS		1
17271C	Primary	South-East	SCOIL MHUIRE MUIGHEO	CRETTYARD	CARLOW	CO CARLOW		1
17555Q	Primary	South-East	SCOIL NAOMH ABBAN	CRETTYARD	CARLOW	CO CARLOW		1
17604D	Primary	South-East	RAITHIN AN UISCE N S	RAITHIN AN UISCE	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOISE		1
18203N	Primary	South-East	SCOIL NÁISIÚNTA CÚIL an tSÚDAIRE 2	SANDYLANE	PORTARLINGTON	CO LAOIS		1
18294T	Primary	South-East	BARR NA SRUTHAN N S	BARR NA SRUTHAN	MOUNTMELLICK	CO LAOIS		1
18368W	Primary	South-East	MHUIRE FATIMA N S	TIGH MOCHUA	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOIS		1
18547W	Primary	South-East	FAOLAN NAOFA N S	BAILE UI RUAIN	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOIS		1
18641O	Primary	South-East	S N NAOMH EOIN	PORTARLINGTON	CO LAOIS			1
19369G	Primary	South-East	ST PAULS N S	ST PAULS RECTORY	MOUNTMELLICK	CO LAOIS		1
19747M	Primary	South-East	SCOIL BHRIDE NS	PORTLAOISE	CO LAOIS			1
20224K	Primary	South-East	GAELSCOIL AN TSLI DALA	BOIRIS MOR OSSARI	CONTAE LAOISE			1
20353V	Primary	South-East	St Coleman's National School	Stradbally	Laois	Co Laois		1
68068R	Post-primary	South-East	Coláiste Íosagáin	Portarlington	Co. Offaly			1
91426A	Post-primary	South-East	Mountmellick Community School	Mountmellick	Co Laois			1
								24