Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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598. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he will take to engage with course directors in third-level institutions to discuss ongoing concerns particularly in relation to practical aspects of course work that has either been restricted or completely cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. [4152/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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At present, the Level 5 measures designate higher and further education as essential insofar as onsite presence is required for education activities that cannot be held remotely. In overall terms, the sectors have rapidly adjusted to a more restrictive environment again, with all further and higher education institutions conducting the vast majority of their provision online. The balance between on-site and online provision has been subject to continuous change in order to safeguard students, staff and the communities in which institutions are located.

Reflecting the recent deterioration in the Covid-19 situation, FET and HE providers are adapting and using their discretion to restrict onsite attendance further, only allowing the most essential work to take place onsite. Local assessment on onsite activities will focus on activities that are not capable of being delivered through alternative means and are time-critical for students and learners during this period.

There is ongoing engagement on the position with relevant institutions and stakeholders in the light of experience and the progress of the disease and planning for the remainder of the academic year. My Department is working with all stakeholders to identify mitigating actions which can be implemented.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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599. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) in respect of social care students and their ongoing difficulty fulfilling placements.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4200/21]

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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602. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the alternatives being put in place to give an alternative for placement in 2021 for social care for second and third year students or reduce the placement hours from 400 to 200 hours (details supplied). [4240/21]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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605. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address the issue of social care students who are unable to complete their placement requirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4317/21]

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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606. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will work with CORU to provide alternatives to placement for social care students in 2021 only; if he will consider with CORU reducing the number of placement hours from 400 to 250 in 2021 to reduce the significant pressure on students and organisations that are finding it difficult to accommodate same in view of the Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4333/21]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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607. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty facing third-level social care students with regard to securing the obligatory hours for course placement during Covid-19 restrictions; the intervention his Department is considering in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4356/21]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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610. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that social care students are currently unable to complete the mandatory 400 hours of placement required to progress in their studies due to Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4467/21]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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611. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to deal with the issue of social care students who are currently unable to complete the mandatory 400 hours of placement required to progress in their studies due to Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4468/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 599, 602, 605, 606, 607, 610 and 611 together.

I am aware that issues have arisen in relation to placement hours both for students of Social Care programmes and for placements more generally as the restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19 have tightened. My Department is monitoring developments in this regard very closely.

From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, significant work has been undertaken by a stakeholder group chaired by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), and including the representative bodies of education providers and students to address issues relating to the maintenance of the quality and standards of:

- teaching and learning,

- assessment, and

- qualifications.

This group has focused on the implementation of alternative arrangements and methods of delivery, where appropriate and necessary, to meet both these standards and, where applicable, the educational accreditation criteria established by Professional Recognition Bodies (PRBs).

In the case of Social Care, the awards standards in place for these qualifications reflect the accreditation criteria and placement requirements that have been set out by CORU, Ireland's multi-profession Health and Social Care Regulator and consequently the relevant PRB for this profession.

Since March 2020, QQI has facilitated engagement between members of the stakeholders group and CORU which have taken place in parallel to direct engagements between CORU and individual education providers. The goal of these engagements has been to ensure that necessary alternative arrangements are in place to maintain the standards of education and training in this area and that these issues are actively managed. These efforts are to ensure that students can progress in their programmes from one academic year into the next, or, where relevant, graduate with the necessary professional competencies that have been set out by CORU.

Substantial efforts have been made by CORU, QQI and educational institutions to identify and implement flexible solutions for students up to this point. However, further efforts are now necessary.

The current timing and the likely duration of Covid restrictions has created greater disruption and uncertainty in this space than anticipated and has substantially impacted on the expected level of available social care placements. It is in this context that I have asked QQI, supported by my Department, to facilitate intensified engagements between CORU, education providers and relevant stakeholders on this issue. The focus of these engagements will be to identify solutions that can be swiftly implemented for the student cohort who are most impacted in the near term while also identifying flexible approaches that can be readily adopted within the system in the medium to longer term as the response to the pandemic evolves and changes.

These engagements will facilitate a dialogue among stakeholders in developing these solutions and, most importantly, will ensure transparency and clarity for those students studying social care.