Members only
Medr regulatory framework summary
AMOSSHE Wales responded to the consultation on behalf of their nation’s providers. Our Senior Policy and Research Officer, Dr Emma Maslin, provides a summary of the changes made to the regulation relevant to AMOSSHE members following the consultation process.
Staff and learner welfare condition
The new regulatory system includes a condition of registration on staff and learner welfare.
In our consultation response, we recommended that Medr explicitly outlines which elements of the condition are mandatory and which are considered good practice. The published condition now states that providers should use sector frameworks to support institutional self-evaluation. In accordance with Medr’s glossary of terms, this means that it’s ‘strongly encouraged but not legally required in the conditions of registration or funding’. We’re pleased that the guidance on how the sector should use existing sector frameworks to meet the condition has been clarified. This’ll ensure providers are appropriately informed of the regulatory requirements placed upon them.
In our response to the consultation, we advocated for the proposed welfare action plan to be co-created with sector representatives to help reduce administrative burden on Student Services leaders. Medr has now committed to the welfare action plan being co-created with the sector, and has extended the annual return timeframe for the action plan to a bi-annual basis. We agree with the regulator that extending the timeframe will reduce unnecessary burden whilst retaining appropriate safeguards. We’re confident that we’ll be included in future discussions about the welfare action plan. We’ll continue to advocate for the regulator to take an inclusive and timely monitoring approach to staff and learner welfare.
In our consultation response, we recommended that Medr operate within clear timelines in a predictable, fair, and transparent manner. Therefore, we’re pleased that the regulator has provided a timeline for providers which details its expectations on how it’ll monitor the condition over the next four years. By mapping out the administrative requirements that’ll be placed on providers, this’ll help our members plan their workload accordingly.
Next steps
AMOSSHE welcomes Medr’s continued commitment to collaborate with the sector. We meet regularly with Medr, which enables us to support our Welsh members in understanding and implementing regulation and best practice in Student Services.
AMOSSHE Executive Members Sally Lambah (Wrexham University) and Ian Munton (Aberystwyth University) represent AMOSSHE Wales on Medr’s working group. It’s currently developing a common framework of mental health and well-being support for providers across the Welsh tertiary sector.
A big thank you to AMOSSHE Wales members who informed our consultation response. We’ll continue to facilitate opportunities for Student Services leaders to inform Medr’s regulatory approach so that it’s grounded in realistic expectations of the sector.
