I propose to take Questions Nos. 1126, 1129, 1145 and 1153 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.
Since March 2020, QQI has facilitated engagement between stakeholders, including the representative bodies of education providers and students, and CORU which have taken place in parallel to direct engagements between CORU and individual education providers at a local and regional level. The goal of these engagements has been to ensure that, where possible, 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.
While I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts that have been made by CORU, QQI and our educational institutions to identify and implement flexible solutions for students up to this point, I am conscious that further efforts are now necessary.
QQI has been asked, supported by my Department, to facilitate intensified engagements between CORU, education providers and relevant stakeholders on this issue. These engagements are ongoing and are focused on identifying 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 serve to facilitate dialogue among stakeholders in developing these solutions and, most importantly, will ensure transparency and clarity for those students studying social care.
Students should continue to engage directly with their provider for further information on the arrangements being implemented for their particular year and course.