South East Technological University (SETU) Lifelong Learning, in partnership with Family Carers Ireland (FCI) hosted the Presentation of Certificates ceremony for participants of the ‘Supporting Family Carers Across Ireland’ project at its campus in Carlow.
Friday’s ceremony was a special opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the work of these inspiring learners, not only in their efforts to take part in courses, but in the extraordinary work they do to care for their loved ones at home. President of SETU, Professor Veronica Campbell, who presented the carers with their awards, conveyed how struck she has been by the work of the project and the impact it has had on the carers and their families, as well as on the team at SETU who have had the immense privilege to work with the family carers.
SETU’s partnership with FCI began in 2018 with the co-creation of the Certificate in Family Caring which has been delivered to carers in nine different regions of Ireland. The success of this course was recognised in 2021 when SETU was awarded €1million in funding from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to extend its efforts to create the ‘Supporting Family Carers Across Ireland’ project. The project will run until 2024 and to date it has served 208 participants on 12 courses. Participants recognised at Friday’s ceremony had completed the Certificate in Family Caring, the Certificate in Advocacy, and the Certificate in Learning to Learn at Third Level.
Central to the project, and linked to SETU’s overall strategic goals, is providing access to a transformative and holistic educational experience for family carers. Many family carers may not have had the opportunity to participate in third-level education if it were not for the level of accessibility provided by the project through funded and part-time programmes.
Speaking at the event, President of SETU, Professor Veronica Campbell said, “Today is a marvellous day of celebration and it is my pleasure to congratulate each, and every one of you on your achievement of a higher education award. Part of our strategic goals at SETU is to foster a supportive and inclusive environment for students and ensure equity of access to education for all. The Family Carers project is a living example of what we mean by this. A key strand to this project, is the focus on lowering the barriers that family carers often face when trying to access higher education and we are doing this through the provision of targeted, funded programmes. Through these programmes, we are supporting the personal development of carers, giving them access to a peer caregiver network, and equipping them with the confidence to navigate and advocate for better support societally. I would like to sincerely thank the teams from SETU and Family Carers Ireland who have brought this project to life.”
Caroline Poole, National Lead for Partnerships and Innovation at FCI commented, “It was wonderful to be here to celebrate with our amazing family carers and to see them all receive their awards. We so appreciate our partnership with SETU, and I want to thank the team at SETU Lifelong Learning for their dedication to our ‘Supporting Family Carers Ireland’ project. Collaborating on the project has allowed us to offer training to carers on a whole new level – third level. I’d like to acknowledge the variety of training courses that are now available, and so relevant to family carers – not only in their caring role but in giving them hope and opening new doors for them into the future.”
FCI supports more than 500,000 family carers who look after loved ones including children or adults with disabilities, frail older people, the terminally ill, or those suffering from chronic illnesses or addiction. The ‘Supporting Family Carers Across Ireland’ project promotes the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of family carers and their families. It also recognises the enormous contribution family carers make to our society with the hope that taking part in the courses allows participants to feel more confident, valued and supported in their caring roles.