Eoin Ó Broin
Ceist:262. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education when a NEPS assessment will be made available to a person (details supplied). [6050/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 13 February 2024
Ceisteanna (262)
Freagraí scríofa
Under the model for allocating additional teaching resources to support children and young people, with special educational needs, in our schools, the Department provides supports directly to schools, allowing schools greater autonomy in the flexible allocation of teaching resources, based on the needs of children and young people. Schools can respond to individual needs in a flexible way, and children do not have to have a psychological assessment, or a diagnosis of a disability, in order to access Special Education Teaching support. This means that those with the highest level of need can access the highest level of support, within the school, in a timely manner.
My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary and special 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.
The focus of the service is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. 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 may become involved with an individual child for intensive intervention or assessment.
Where a parent/guardian has a concern about their child’s progress in school, they should request a meeting with the Principal to discuss the child's needs and the supports the school have put in place, and if appropriate to consider a consultation with a NEPS psychologist.
In relation to the pupil to which the Deputy refers, no request for the involvement of a NEPS psychologist has been received from the school which this pupil attends.