Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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533. To ask the Minister for Health the alternative mechanisms CORU and the Social Care Workers Registration Board plan for students of social care that have been unable to complete full placement hours to complete course requirements due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and the associated restrictions (details supplied). [13471/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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One of CORU’s key functions as our Regulator of Health and Social Care Professionals is to assess education courses and provide assurance to the public that graduates of those courses meet the minimum regulatory standards and are safe to practise.

Each registration board at CORU has set a minimum hours' practice placement requirement for a student to meet the standards of proficiency for registration.  In that context, CORU advise that the education providers have flexibility to determine what constitutes a placement. CORU issued guidance to the education sector in this regard on 13 March 2020 and continue to engage with education providers to ensure the timely and safe graduation of this year’s cohort of students.

CORU advise that many education providers are availing of this flexibility regarding Placement Criteria and are implementing other mechanisms to ensure placement hours are met, without compromising the standards of proficiency required for the profession. CORU have informed me that they have been made aware of many students who are successfully completing their placements.

CORU advise students to stay in close contact with their education providers who can best advise them as to the changes they are making to their programmes to ensure they graduate with the appropriate training and qualifications.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.