Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs, including the management of academic affairs and determinations around course provision.

There are currently no CORU approved part time courses in Social Work. Currently, six higher education institutes (HEIs) have accredited programmes providing professional qualifications in social work. Two programmes are at the undergraduate level, with the majority of programmes at a post-graduate level. My Department does not place a cap on the number of Social Work places.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Social Work Education Group (SWEG) was established by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in January 2019, and comprises all relevant higher education institutions along with other key players such as the Health Service Executive (HSE), Tusla, Probation Service, and representation from DFHERIS.

This work has led to an action plan being developed to support expansion in the pipeline of Social Workers. A SWEG survey of HEIs last year identified that current prospective student demand is being met by the current provision of social work programmes however, the current supply does not appear to be sufficient to meet the demands of the health and social care sector. Accordingly, a key focus of this plan is to attract larger numbers of suitable prospective students to apply for Social Work programmes and market research has commenced to assist with identifying the reasons more students are not seeking to be social workers. The findings of the market research will inform follow-up actions identified in the plan.

The issue of potentially expanding part-time delivery of tertiary education in Ireland is a complex one and significant planning will need to be conducted at both national and institution level to manage the significant supply-side impacts on educational institutions. Through the Funding the Future policy, Government has recognised that supporting part-time, blended and postgraduate learning could potentially transform access to learning in the medium term, once existing reform commitments are embedded within the sector.

The Funding the Future working group focused on skills, participation and cost is currently considering the potential to support students to avail of more flexible learning opportunities.