This page summarises our findings from reviewing education providers and programmes in recent years.
It provides our view on public safety through service user interactions linked to education and training, including our regulatory requirements, and what we commonly see in programme delivery.
This information should be considered by education providers when developing new and existing programmes, linked to this area.
Our threshold requirements
- the admissions process must assess the suitability of applicants, including criminal conviction checks (SET 2.4);
- there are thorough and effective processes in place for ensuring the ongoing suitability of learners’ conduct, character and health (SET 3.16);
- there is an effective process in place to support and enable learners to raise concerns about the safety and wellbeing of service users (SET 3.17);
- learners, educators and others are aware that only successful completion of an approved programme leads to eligibility for admission to the Register (SET 3.18); and
- programmes include effective processes for obtaining appropriate consent from service users (SET 4.10).
- service users and carers who interact with learners are protected;
- service users’ rights are respected, and the risk of harm is reduced;
- learners understand what will be expected of them as health and care professionals;
- learners recognise situations where service users may be at risk;
- education providers support learners to raise any concerns, and make sure action is taken in response; and
- there is no confusion about which programmes we approve, which enables the public to be clear on which programmes meet our standards and which do not.
Where education providers are concerned about an individual, they should follow their own learner fitness to practisce procedures. Any individual who does not or cannot meet our standards should be removed from programmes, and not receive an HCPC-approved qualification. This is a key public safety point, as only individuals who meet our requirements for registration should be given HCPC-approved awards.
Where education providers remain concerned about an individual, we advise them to contact our fitness to practise team about their concerns. We may keep information shared with us on record, and may take it into account should the individual apply for registration in the future.
Summary reflections
Education providers have clear policies to:
- consider the suitability of learners through admissions;
- consider the ongoing suitability of learners;
- support and enable learners to raise concerns about the safety of service users, including teaching and learning about recognising situations where service users may be at risk;
- ensure learners identify themselves to service users, and obtain their consent; and
- define which awards are HCPC-approved, and which are not.
Education provider approaches
Education providers require a criminal conviction check to be carried out by the relevant national body for UK applicants, or by an equivalent body for international applicants.
Education providers are clear that admissions to programmes were subject to The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order, which enables education providers to ask questions “about spent convictions and cautions in order to assess a person's suitability for admission to certain occupations”.
Education providers have well documented learner fitness to practise procedures, to make decisions about learner continuation when things go wrong, and normally require declarations from learners on a regular basis, and when any situation might impact their ongoing suitability to become a registered health and care professional.
Teaching and learning activities are embedded into programmes which set out expectations of professional behaviour for learners in practice, and to develop learner ability to meet our standards of conduct, performance and ethics at the point of registration.
Education providers have policies in place related to concerns about the safety and wellbeing of service users. Normally, policies are badged as ‘whistleblowing’, ‘escalating or raising concerns’ and ‘safeguarding’, and applied to both the practice and academic settings. Importantly, education providers are committed to support learners to recognise situations where service users may be at risk, through structured teaching and learning.
Education providers are clear that learners must identify themselves as learners to service users in the practice setting, and there are processes in place to enable leaners to obtain consent from service users. This can include physical distinctions, such as badges or marks on uniforms, but there is also an expectation that learners proactively identify themselves.
There are clear regulations in place across education provider, which state which programmes are approved and hence lead to eligibility to apply to the HCPC Register. These are normally contained in programme specifications.
When proposing new programmes, education providers align proposed programmes to existing policies, processes and mechanisms linked to these areas.
Current sector focus and challenges
There are some complexities for apprenticeship programmes, where learners are also employees. Education providers are clear which organisation’s policies should be followed in these situations, and how engagement structures function to address any issues which might arise in the practice or academic setting.
Education providers need to have developed their teaching and learning activities which set out expectations of professional behaviour for learners in practice, based on revisions to our standards of conduct, performance and ethics. These standards became effective from September 2024, and the revised standards need to be delivered to new cohorts starting from this date. We have begun assessing alignment with the revised standards through our performance review assessments from the 2024-25 academic year.