Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 July 2025
368. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of psychologists currently employed by NEPS; the number of sanctioned psychologist posts in NEPS; the estimated full-year cost of running NEPS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35655/25]
View answerI would like to thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for his question regarding my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
NEPS provides educational psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools.
NEPS provides all schools with:
• 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),
• the School Staff Support and Development Service, to build school capability to provide a comprehensive continuum of support in schools,
• ongoing access to advice and support for schools, and
• an advisory service to schools where a psychologist is not available due to a vacancy.
The number of educational psychologists currently employed in NEPS stands at 234 whole time equivalents (WTE) across six regions.
The NEPS Budget for 2025 breaks down as follows:
• Pay: €29,400m
• Non-pay (includes funding for initiatives such as the Counselling in Schools Primary Pilot): €11,026m
My department is making every effort to recruit additional educational psychologists. Since January 2023, NEPS has supported bursaries for Trainee Educational Psychologists who are enrolled in the University College Dublin 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 Maynooth Universities professional doctorate in educational psychology.
Those in receipt of a bursary commit to joining NEPS upon graduation. There are over 70 Trainee Educational Psychologists in receipt of a bursary who are expected to join NEPS upon graduation.
The Public Appointments Service recently advertised a recruitment campaign for Educational Psychologists recently and successful candidates should be appointed shortly.
