Assessment of Professional Competence

If you do NOT hold an approved, Schedule 3 or sufficiently relevant qualification, or an Employer Opinion of Competence, you must undertake an Assessment of Professional Competence in order to apply for registration.  The Assessment of Professional Competence (AoPC) is a formal evaluation designed to assess your knowledge and the application of the Standards of Proficiency and the Codes of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Social Care Workers.

The purpose of the assessment is to prove that:

• You have been engaged in the practice of the profession
• You can meet the standards of proficiency for the profession

It evaluates an applicant’s ability to demonstrate the competencies through case-based scenarios and multiple choice questions.  This assessment is a requirement under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act, 2005, as amended.

To qualify for an assessment of professional competence you must demonstrate that you have a minimum number of years of practice for a Social Care Worker i.e. 2 years out of the previous 5 years at the time of making an application for registration during the grandparenting period.

Please see attached Guidance Document with full details of how to register for the Assessment, the AoPC schedule, fees and resources available.

If you require further information on the Assessment of Professional Competence and the Standards of Proficiency, please contact socialcareworkers@coru.ie.