Social care students in a Dublin college are calling for refunds and answers after learning that they will not be able to be employed as social care workers when they graduate.
Students in Dublin Business School's BA and BA (Hons) in Applied Social Care feel they have been "grossly misled" as the college has withdrawn their application to CORU, Ireland's health and social care professional regulator. This means graduates will be unable to become official social care workers, despite having a degree.
The course was established by DBS back in 2018 and received QQI validation, but has been in the process of being approved by CORU. According to DBS, the CORU Review Panel had "concerns about the extent to which the programme ensures the achievement of the Registration Board Standards of Proficiency for Social Care Workers" and "advised that the timeframe of the Programme Approval process could not accommodate the submission of the changes required to address the issues."
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DBS withdrew their application this July and said they are "currently working on a revised programme to be submitted for future approval by both QQI and CORU", intending that "graduates of the revised programme will ultimately be able to receive CORU registration".
However, current students feel they have been left in the dark about their future options. Students have said that while they knew the course was not yet approved by CORU, they were "told they would be CORU approved and that the college was going to get it".
Mature student Carmel Corrigan has just completed her second year in the BA course and has spent almost €8,000 on the degree so far. She told Dublin Live that it is a "horrendous situation".
"Back in 2019 I had the worst year of my life," she said. "So come 2020 I knew I needed to do something different. I searched everywhere to find the right course for me and I spoke in depth with the administration at DBS about this course and it was the right fit for me.
"It was a struggle every year to get the money to pay DBS. It's the guts of €4,000 per year. It was hard work, between friends and family helping me out always with the intention of being able to get a great job when I finish and pay everybody back.
"It's horrendous to be in this situation, it's embarrassing. Some people are relying on this greatly and are up to their necks in debt trying to pay for it."
Carmel said herself and her peers were notified via email on August 9 that the course would not be receiving CORU approval. A virtual meeting for students with DBS staff was held last night, but they were "unable to answer their questions".
She said: "Basically, the only thing we got out of that meeting, which was two hours long, was that our degree will be a degree when we finish up but we will not be able to register with CORU. This effectively means we won't be able to get a job with our degree because you need to be recognised with CORU. It's worthless."
Carmel said that students were "absolutely given the impression" that the course would receive CORU approval. "We were told we would be CORU approved and that the college was going to get it, they were confident in this," she said.
"Everything over the past two years has been CORU, CORU, CORU. That is absolutely the impression we were given. At no point were we told that 'guys at the end of this degree you might not have CORU approval' or that we might not get it.
"We were never told that. The level of confidence was so high that it was in the bag."
Carmel has had discussions with other colleges to see if it was possible for her to transfer, but was told they "will not accept any students from DBS or credits because it is not CORU approved". She added: "So we can't transfer, we would have to restart with another college.
"If it was possible we could finish our degree with DBS and get our level 7 and then move onto a Level 8 that was CORU approved, that could be an option for some people. But again, we don't know if this is possible. Some people want a refund, but we are not getting any answers when we ask these questions."
A spokeswoman for Dublin Business School told Dublin Live that BA/BA Hons in Applied Social Care "provides both theoretical and practical aspects of working in a social care environment". She also said that their current cohort is their "top priority" and they are "fully committed to finding solutions that will allow their students to achieve their goal of working in the social care sector".
"We have contacted CORU seeking to engage with them in developing all possible options," the spokeswoman continued. "We are writing to all incoming first year students that the course is not approved by CORU and this information is also published on our website."
A spokesman for CORU told Dublin Live that DBS withdrew their application in July 2022 and they "acknowledge the impact on existing students". He said: "One of the most important ways we protect the public is by ensuring that education bodies deliver qualifications that prepare professionals to provide safe and appropriate care.
"The Social Care Workers Register will open in November 2023 and introduce regulation to that profession for the first time in Ireland. This positive milestone will ensure all service users receive the highest standards of care and empower CORU to act when any deficiencies are identified. Once the register opens all new entrants to the profession will require a CORU approved qualification to be admitted to the register.
"The Social Care Workers Registration Board issued its education and training standards in 2017 and began its work of reviewing social care work education programmes in 2019. All educators who have applied for approval, including Dublin Business School, have been given detailed guidance about CORU’s requirements and detailed feedback on how their courses align to CORU’s standards.
"Dublin Business School withdrew its applications for programme approval to CORU in July 2022. We acknowledge the impact on existing students, if an education provider withdraws from the programme approval process. It is for this reason, education providers are advised to consider an application for programme approval carefully and enter the regulatory approval process when they believe that there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the programme meets the standards required for public protection.
"We remain available to work with and support all educators and provide guidance on how courses can demonstrate they meet the required standards."
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