SETU welcomes CORU approval for social care programmes

South East Technological University is delighted to announce that its level 7 and 8 social care programmes provided on the Carlow and Wexford campuses; Professional Social Care Practice and Applied Social Studies in Professional Social Care, have been approved by CORU. CORU is a multi-profession regulator whose role is to protect the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, education, training, and competence through statutory registration of health and social care professionals (CORU, 2017).  

Following the submission of mapping documentation and a long, challenging and thorough process, both campuses have satisfied the Social Care Workers Registration Board that their social care programmes are suitable for the education and training of candidates for registration to the CORU register, have met all education criteria and have embedded all standards of proficiencies for the profession in the curriculum and assessment.

Susan Barnes, programme director on the Wexford campus commented, “The social care programme team on SETU’s Wexford campus are delighted to announce that the BA in Applied Social Studies in Professional Social Care is now CORU approved. This has only been possible with the dedication of lecturers, management and our students. We would also like to sincerely thank all our social care placement providers, who provide our students with invaluable practical experience”.

These sentiments are echoed by Eileen Farrell and Dr Sheila Long, programme directors for the degree in Professional Social Care Practice provided on SETU’s Carlow campus "We are delighted to receive CORU approval. It is a testament to the commitment of the management, staff and students of SETU’s Carlow’s campus to the education and development of future social care professionals with the competencies to deliver safe and person-centred practice".

CORU approval has been welcomed by the students across the social care programmes. Conan O’Neill McDermott, a fourth year student on the BA (Hons) in Professional Social Care Practice, commented “As a final year student in Professional Social Care Practice on the Carlow campus, I am delighted with the news that we will now be graduating with a CORU approved degree in Professional Social Care Practice. Through CORU approval, this will now provide us with more professional standing, accountability, and transparency within our role as professional social care workers. I congratulate all my colleagues, peers, and the faculty within SETU on their long and many years of work to achieving this programme approval status for social care students”. 

These programmes will now be subject to monitoring of their continued suitability by the Social Care Workers Registration Board and both social care teams are very much looking forward to the challenge of retaining their approval status during this monitoring phase!

SETU Waterford campus continues to engage with CORU in relation to seeking approval for the social care programmes delivered on that campus.