Ms Mary McHugh:

I wish the Chair and members of the committee a good morning. My name is Mary McHugh. I am a social care lecturer and programme director in the Technological University of the Shannon, TUS, Athlone. On behalf of THEA, we welcome the opportunity to make the submission regarding professional accreditation of higher education courses.

We welcome the opportunity to make a submission regarding professional accreditation of higher education courses, from my point of view with specific reference to social care. THEA members, educational providers, social care staff and students have welcomed and embraced CORU’s process over the past five years.

THEA represents four educational providers, which collectively have ten full-time and one part-time social care courses approved by CORU. TUS Athlone has two full-time courses and one part-time course and TUS midwest delivers one course over three different campuses. Atlantic Technological University delivers courses in Sligo and Castlebar. South East Technological University has courses in Waterford, Wexford and Carlow. Finally, Dundalk IT has received CORU approval to deliver one social care course. Each educational provider has actively engaged with CORU throughout the process. We will continue to collaborate with the social care sector, statutory, voluntary and private organisations, representative bodies like Social Care Ireland and the Irish Association of Social Care Educators to ensure graduates have the necessary skills and knowledge to meet CORU’s standards of proficiency, which are required to register as a social care worker.

Our members have had a long history in the provision of social care education in Ireland. Courses were born out of the need to address serious deficits in the provision of residential care and other social care services. Social Care Ireland and the Irish Association of Social Care Educators have worked tirelessly throughout this process advocating for recognition for the social care profession and supporting social care workers and educators navigating this new landscape.

As educators and social care workers, we have embraced CORU’s programme approval journey. Our values are fully aligned with CORU’s overall mission of creating quality standards with the sole aim of ensuring safety to the public. The journey began 20 years ago with the initial Health and Social Care Bill, followed by the Health and Social Care Act 2005. It will culminate, on 30 November 2023, with the opening of CORU’s register for social care workers. From 2025, “social care worker” will become a legally protected title in Ireland. This has proven a dynamic journey for both regulators and providers and we have learned much in recent years.

The title “social care worker” is likely to be truly transformative for the sector. First, it will inspire greater confidence in the public and individuals and families who need to access social care services. In addition, independent verification by the regulatory body, CORU, will help shape the emerging identity of the entire profession of social care workers.

The opening of CORU’s register this November launches a two-year transition period for the existing diverse sector of social care practitioners to apply to join the register. Once that two-year grandparenting process ends in late 2025, access to the register will be restricted to graduates who successfully complete one of CORU’s listed approved social care courses mentioned.

There are a number of considerations or issues to reflect upon. Practice placement is an integral part of social care programmes with every student requiring to complete a minimum of two placements spanning 800 hours during their social care programme. We appreciate that individuals and groups that avail of social care services allow social care students to engage and experience social care practice under supervision in their social care settings. This practice experience allows students to demonstrate they are meeting CORU’s standards of proficiency. Quality placements require resources to support students and their practice educators. These requirements demand significant investment by the placement agencies, which provide learning opportunities for students. This requires careful planning, preparing students for placement, investing time to find suitable agencies and build capacity, liaising with agencies during placements, monitoring student progress and providing training and supports for supervisors and agencies.

Another consideration is ensuring wider access to social care education. Government-led initiatives and individual college initiatives have ensured that underrepresented populations secure access to third level education and this in very evident in social care. Current initiative like DARE and HEAR and various bursaries and initiatives support students in gaining access to social care education. For example, the University of Sanctuary has supported those in direct provision to access third level education and social care in particular. Other supports such as the 1916 Bursary provides opportunities for applicants who have experienced disadvantage to become social care workers. Further development and funding of those initiatives are vital in ensuring successful completion of social care courses, therefore ensuring equality and access to social care programmes for all, and to ensure that all of our citizens are represented in social care.

Part-time provision is another consideration, which is lacking in Ireland. TUS Athlone offers one out of a total of two CORU-approved part-time social care courses aimed at those applicants wishing to pursue a qualification or longer term career pathway in social care, culminating in joining the social care register. Most of these applicants for part-time study are working full time in the social care sector. The majority are self-funded.

This demonstrates their commitment to social care and represents a significant challenge as they balance study, work and family. This is worthy of consideration in terms of financial support or tax breaks to support those students. Part-time courses are meeting the demands of social care practice. CPD and postgraduate education students who go through accredited programmes will have met the threshold standards to enter the register and profession. There also needs to be consideration given to post-qualification CPD and postgraduate qualifications that further develop skills of social care workers who may go on to work in a diverse range of areas within social care and may require more specialised skills and knowledge.

On balancing academic and professional requirements, like other professions in the health and social care area, we have experienced challenges aligning professional accreditation bodies’ requirements and academic requirements. This is something that can be a challenge for some students on social care programmes.

To conclude, there have been positive developments in social care education in response to the changing practice landscape. We are now at the cusp of the next phase of growth and progress, as well as achieving the recognition social care educators and the profession have been striving for since the initiation of social care education. I thank the members for their attention and time. I am happy to any answer questions they may have.