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Up to 3,500 social care workers may have their jobs here disrupted if they fail to apply to register with the regulator for their profession within the next month. CORU, the regulator for health and social care professions, has issued an urgent reminder to all social care workers that they have until November 30 to begin the registration process. Failure to do so could jeopardise their ability to work here. It is estimated that there are approximately 15,000 social care professionals currently employed across Ireland. Under new regulations introduced in 2023, workers were given two years to register with the regulator. However, with just one month of this two-year period remaining, only 11,500 workers have so far applied to register. Individual social care workers who have not applied to CORU by the deadline will not be allowed to continue working under the title of social care worker after November 30. “Ireland has many skilled and dedicated social care workers ably supporting people across the country,” said Helena Doody, chair of the Social Care Workers Registration Board. “The introduction of regulation will provide them with the recognition they deserve and also their service users with the assurance of the quality they can expect. It is a positive development for Irish social care. “There is, however, a large number of people still to apply and we are urging everyone to do so in advance of the deadline,” CORUs’ new regulations set minimum education standards for the profession. Those already working as social care workers can register by demonstrating their experience and competence in other ways, but this option is only available during the two-year transition period, which finishes next month. “This deadline is set out in legislation; there is no discretion to extend it,” added Ms Doody. “If you leave it to the last minute and miss the deadline, you may seriously impact your career. The good news is that applying is a straightforward process and the CORU team are on hand to answer any questions.” Social care workers can make their application by visiting the CORU website. Any queries relating to the application process can be directed to socialcare.workers@coru.ie or the phoneline 01 293 3160.
