Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 February 2017
168. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of ensuring that every school has access to a NEPS psychologist for the purposes of carrying out an assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9232/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs 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 through 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).
It is estimated that, taking the current staffing availability and school allocation levels, it would cost in the region of €1.5m per annum to provide NEPS psychologists to school currently being catered for under the SCPA scheme.
The Deputy will also be aware that my Department, in conjunction with the Public Appointments service, are actively engaged in a recruitment process to fill some 11 vacancies in the existing NEPS staffing complement. Furthermore, in commencing the delivery in the Programme for Government commitment to increase NEPS psychologist numbers by 65, my Department intends to recruit, in 2017, ten additional NEPS psychologists. We envisage the recruits filling existing vacancies and the additional staff will be in place by the commencement of the 2017/18 academic year allowing for significant potential in school receiving direct service from a NEPS psychologist.
