SDLP Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin
Said the Foyle MLA: “I’ve been hearing from many students who are struggling to make ends this winter, but these challenges are particularly acute for students of disciplines like social work where students are on placement for a large portion of the degree.
“A local student has recently reached out to me and raised these issues directly, but she is far from alone and her experience underlines the significant impact that the cost-of-living crisis is having on our students.
“These are students who are working full-time hours on placement, going above and beyond yet receiving virtually zero support.
“Many social work students are mature students with families and they are disproportionately though not exclusively women.
“We are now in the absurd situation where we are forcing them to choose between heating their homes or filling up their cars with the diesel they need to travel to placement. That cannot be right.
“How can we expect our young people to achieve their potential in education if we are forcing them into poverty?
“I am really concerned that due to the current crisis which has exacerbated existing challenges, more and more social work students may struggle to make the sums add up and remain in their studies.
“I have now written to the Minister of Health to ask him what steps his Department will be taking to support social work students throughout the cost-of-living crisis.”
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