Fitness to Practise

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Fitness to Practise

You need to understand and use this Ordinance if …

You are concerned about an Ulster Student’s behaviour or actions, in relation to professional practise, and you need to report this
You have been told that a Fitness to Practise report has made about you

In these cases, SAAT can help you work through the policy and the process and ensure that you are signposted to the most appropriate support to help you.

Fitness to Practise is a University process that is only applicable to courses which are Regulated Provision. This means that the professional area of practise that is related to the degree or postgraduate qualification is under the regulation of a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (known as a PSRB). These professional bodies both determine the professional and ethical standards of practise that are required to work in that profession, and also are the registration body for the profession.

This means the University qualification is one part of what is required to become a practitioner in a PSRB professional field; the second part is professional registration.

If a student successfully passes their qualification but has breached a PSRB code of professional or ethical practise then the PSRB can (and often will) refuse to register this student, even they hold the relevant degree/qualification.

A Fitness to Practise process happens when a student on a PSRB course is found to be, or accused of behaviour and/or practise that would contravene the PSRB code of conduct for their professional area of practise.

When this happens the University is required to assess what has happened, against the standards of the PSRB and our required standards of student conduct. If a student is found to have breached professional and/or ethical standards then the University upholds the Fitness to Practise case and there are a range of penalties which the student may incur, up to and excluding permanent exclusion from their programme of study.

Fitness to Practise is a process that is attached to most courses that involve patient or client work such as Health and Social Care related programmes,, social work, many youth and community related courses, and there are other professional related qualifications, with PSRB requirements required. To be certain if your specific qualification is a PSRB course, please check with a course team prior to registering on a chosen programme of study.

Who can use this Ordinance and for what?

A student can be reported under Fitness to Practise by a wide range of people, including members of University staff, those involved with placements including placement supervisors and providers, employers, sometimes other students and even members of the general public can make a Fitness to Practise report about a current student. Additionally, the PSRB themselves can make the report if they become aware of a breach of PSRB standards.

What this Ordinance not cover

The Fitness to Practise process is distinct procedure, different from:

>Student Misconduct – though sometimes a Fitness to Practise issue is also a Student Misconduct issue (where there has been a breach of Ulster University’s Code of Conduct), and students may be subject to both processes

>Fitness to Study

>Academic Misconduct – though Academic Misconduct and Fitness to Practise may be linked and a student could be subject to both procedures