Consultation on the Draft National Guidelines for Professional Practice Placement in Approved Early Learning and Care (ELC) Programmes

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is inviting feedback on the Draft National Guidelines for Professional Practice Placement in Approved Early Learning and Care (ELC) Programmes in Higher and Further Education in Ireland.

Consultation Period

The consultation will be open from 20 October 2026 to 17 November 2026.

Who Should Respond?

Feedback is welcomed from all stakeholders involved in the provision and support of professional practice placement, including:

• Further and Higher Education providers
• Programme teams
• Placement coordinators
• Placement tutors
• Placement mentors
• Representative bodies and sector organisations

Consultation Questions

We particularly welcome feedback on the following areas:

1. Are any sections of the guidelines unclear or ambiguous? If so, please identify the relevant section and suggest how it could be clarified.
2. Are there any quality assurance considerations relating to professional practice placement that are missing or insufficiently addressed?
3. Are the roles and responsibilities of education providers, placement tutors, placement mentors and students clearly defined?
4. Do the assessment-related guidelines adequately reflect the various purposes of assessment, including formative and summative assessment, and the quality assurance considerations associated with placement contexts?

When providing feedback, respondents are encouraged to reference the relevant section or page number of the draft guidelines and, where possible, suggest alternative wording or approaches.

How to Submit Feedback

Responses should be submitted by email to QAB@dcde.gov.ie with “Draft National Guidelines for Professional Practice Placement in Approved Early Learning and Care (ELC) Programmes in Higher and Further Education in Ireland” included in the subject line.

Please indicate whether you are responding:

• As an individual; or
• On behalf of an organisation.

In addition to written submissions, online stakeholder focus groups will be held on:

• 4 November 2026 – Evening session (time to be confirmed)
• 5 November 2026 – Afternoon session (time to be confirmed)

Expressions of interest in participating should be sent to QAB@dcde.gov.ie .

Please note that participation places are limited. Submission of an expression of interest does not guarantee a place at a focus group, and not all applicants will be offered a place. Participants will be selected to support a balanced representation of stakeholders.

Next Steps

Feedback received through the consultation process will inform the development of the final guidelines. Publication is anticipated in Q4 2026, following consideration of consultation responses.