Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike has written to Minister Josepha Madigan asking the education department to enable UCD to seek appropriate accreditation for its SNA programme. This would ensure that the students receive recognition for their achievements, marking a new phase for the #RespectForSNAs campaign.

This new phase will also see more targeted lobbying of political representatives, with a specific request to examine the minimum essential qualification and issue recommendations.  

As part of this effort Andy has also written to each TD and senator, urging them to prioritise the establishment of an expert review group on minimum qualifications. The request also seeks a clear commitment to implement the recommendations of the group. 

The initiative comes after the conclusion of the second phase of the campaign last year, which saw Fórsa members meeting with 212 of 218 members of the Oireachtas to highlight the issue of minimum qualifications.

Andy said that the lobby effort had generated widespread support among politicians. “This culminated in a very well attended Oireachtas briefing on the issue in December last,” he said.

Fórsa’s education division also hosted a conference for SNAs on minimum qualifications, where hundreds of SNAs from across the country attended the event to hear from their colleagues and from other experts in the field.  

The next few months will see SNA campaign leads working to build support for an expert review on minimum qualifications.

In addition to lobbying the #RespectForSNAs campaign will continue to build a profile both publicly and politically.

“The increased level of political awareness and willingness to engage is down to the huge amount of work SNAs are doing on behalf of the campaign,” said Andy.