John Brady
Ceist:466. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education the number of NEPS child psychologists in Wicklow at present, broken down by each area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4719/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 31 January 2023
Ceisteanna (466)
Freagraí scríofa
My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools.
The NEPS service provides access for all schools to:
- Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident
- A Casework Service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA).
- A school staff Support and Development Service, to build school capability to provide a comprehensive continuum of support in schools and
- Ongoing access to advice and support for schools.
NEPS, in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, 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 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. Where reasonable progress is not made, following a school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, a psychologist will 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.
In 2021 the NEPS casework service extended to over 8,500 students. Additionally, under the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) process, private psychologists provided assessment to schools for over 900 students. Furthermore, the NEPS Support and Development service reaches an estimated 25,000 teachers annually.
NEPS is structured upon 8 regional divisions, with 23 local offices each catering for schools in the immediate locale. The number of educational psychologists currently employed in NEPS stands at 225 whole-time equivalents across the eight NEPS regions, having grown from a base of 173 in 2014.
Wicklow is part of the Dublin Mid Leinster region - comprising Kildare, Wicklow and South Dublin –there are 35 whole-time equivalent psychologists assigned to schools across the region.
Question No. 467 answered with Question No. 465.