167. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will address the long waiting lists for NEPS assessments, noting that some schools with over 200 pupils receive only two assessments per year; and if she will outline the actions being taken to tackle the shortage of NEPS assessments in schools. [50003/26]

I would like to take this opportunity to outline the work of NEPS.

All schools have access to:

• General support and advice from a NEPS psychologist, either through the school’s assigned psychologist or through the NEPS Advisory Support Line.

• Support from a NEPS psychologist in the event of a Critical Incident.

• National and Regional Support and Development service for school staff.

• Access for individual casework where a priority need is established to either a NEPS psychologist or an educational psychologist through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA).

NEPS does not operate waiting lists. In common with other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS operates on a consultative model of service. The psychologists may work directly with a child or young person, known as Direct Casework and this includes assessment, or the psychologist may work through teachers or teachers/parents to provide a psychological service for a child/young person, known as Indirect Casework. Assessments are only one aspect of the NEPS service and an educational assessment may not always be required. NEPS does not assign a fixed number of assessments to schools.

NEPS encourages schools to support children and young people using the Continuum of Support, whereby school staff use a problem-solving approach, including school screening (assessment) and evidence-based intervention, for children and young people experiencing difficulties in the school context. The response to intervention is monitored and recorded in the Student Support File. The teachers, parents and child are involved in this process. Under this model, a diagnosis is not required for a child or young person to access supports that can be implemented at school level in mainstream classes, such as special education teaching support and SNA support.

If a school has concerns that a child or young person is not making reasonable progress following evidence informed support and intervention, the school may prioritise the involvement of NEPS to support the identification of need process.

Each year, NEPS staffing levels are evaluated and capacity to serve schools is established. There is currently a nationwide shortage of educational psychologists which has resulted in vacancies. My department is making every effort to recruit additional educational psychologists to address the shortage. Public Jobs recently announced a recruitment campaign for the recruitment of educational psychologists and interviews will take place shortly.

Since January 2023, NEPS has supported bursaries for trainee educational psychologists enrolled in University College Dublin's Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Mary Immaculate College Limerick’s Professional Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology. This has also been extended to students enrolled in the new professional doctorate in educational psychology in Maynooth University. Those in receipt of a bursary support the work of NEPS through trainee placements in the service as part of their studies and commit to joining NEPS upon graduation.