Full policy

PETMA™ Train-the-Trainer (TTT) – NCSE Project

PETMA™ Train-the-Trainer (TTT) – NCSE Project

Terms and Conditions Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set out the terms and conditions governing participation in the PETMA™ Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Programme commissioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and delivered by the National Institute of Intellectual Disability Studies (NIIDS).

This policy provides a clear governance framework to protect:

• learner and staff safety
• assessment integrity
• public confidence
• alignment with Department of Education policy and the NCSE RELATE framework
• PETMA™ model fidelity

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• all individuals enrolled as PETMA™ Trainers-in-Training under the NCSE programme
• all PETMA™ Master Trainers involved in delivery, assessment, or assurance
• NIIDS personnel supporting programme delivery and governance
• all PETMA™ materials, assessments, portfolios, and digital platforms used within the NCSE project
• all modes of delivery (online learning, face-to-face training, portfolio, mentorship, and assessment)

3. Definitions

• NIIDS: National Institute of Intellectual Disability Studies
• NCSE: National Council for Special Education
• PETMA™: Professional Ethical Therapeutic Mindful Approach
• TTT: Train-the-Trainer Programme
• Trainer-in-Training: An individual enrolled on PETMA™ TTT who is not yet authorised
• Authorised PETMA™ Trainer: An individual authorised by NIIDS to deliver PETMA™ within the NCSE programme
• Master Trainer: A NIIDS-appointed PETMA™ Master Trainer with responsibility for delivery, assessment, and assurance

4. Policy Statement

The PETMA™ TTT NCSE Programme is a national, governance-led, prevention-first and regulation-first programme.

Authorisation to deliver PETMA™ under the NCSE programme:

• is conditional, time-limited, and non-transferable
• is granted only following successful assessment and NIIDS assurance
• does not arise automatically from attendance or partial completion

Participation in the programme is subject to full compliance with these Terms and Conditions.

5. Terms and Conditions

5.1 Enrolment and Eligibility

• Enrolment is confirmed only once all eligibility, registration, and programme requirements are met.
• Nomination by an organisation does not guarantee authorisation.
• NIIDS reserves the right to refuse or withdraw enrolment where participation presents a risk to safety, professional standards, programme integrity, or PETMA™ fidelity.

5.2 Programme Requirements

To be eligible for PETMA™ Trainer authorisation under the NCSE programme, Trainers-in-Training must:

• complete all required online modules
• attend all required face-to-face training days
• submit and pass all portfolio and assessment components within specified timelines
• demonstrate safe, ethical, proportionate, and least-restrictive practice
• demonstrate congruence between knowledge, rationale, and applied practice

Partial completion does not confer authorisation.

5.3 Assessment, Authorisation, and Quality Assurance

• Authorisation is granted only following successful assessment and NIIDS quality assurance.
• NIIDS may defer authorisation, require additional learning, or refuse authorisation where required standards are not met.
• All authorisation decisions are governed by PETMA™ assurance frameworks and are final.

5.4 Scope of Authorised Practice and Fidelity

• Authorised PETMA™ Trainers may deliver only the PETMA™ content, levels, and formats for which they are explicitly authorised under the NCSE programme.
• PETMA™ language, frameworks, sequencing, and intent must be delivered as designed.
• PETMA™ must not be altered, blended, diluted, or presented outside its prevention-first, regulation-first framework.

5.5 Professional Conduct and Safeguarding

• All participants are expected to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct.
• Safety, dignity, proportionality, and least-restrictive practice are non-negotiable.
• NIIDS reserves the right to remove any participant whose conduct, attitude, or practice poses risk to learners, staff, or programme integrity.

5.6 Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

• All portfolio submissions, reflective work, assessments, and evidence submitted as part of the PETMA™ TTT programme must be the original work of the Trainer-in-Training, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
• Plagiarism, including but not limited to:
  • copying or closely paraphrasing another person’s work without acknowledgement
  • submitting another individual’s work as one’s own
  • re-using previously submitted work without permission
  • unauthorised use or reproduction of PETMA™ materials
    constitutes a serious breach of programme requirements.
• NIIDS reserves the right to use plagiarism-detection tools and professional judgement when reviewing submissions.
• Confirmed plagiarism may result in:
  • failure of the relevant assessment component
  • non-authorisation or withdrawal of authorisation
  • exclusion from the programme

5.7 Fees, Mobilisation, and Programme Costs

• Fees, mobilisation costs, and payment arrangements are governed by the NIIDS–NCSE contract.
• Mobilisation and preparatory costs incurred in good faith to ensure national delivery readiness may be payable in accordance with contractual terms, even where delivery is delayed or paused.
• Participation or progression may be suspended where contractual obligations are not met.

5.8 Intellectual Property and Use of Materials

• All PETMA™ materials remain the intellectual property of NIIDS.
• Materials may not be copied, recorded, shared, adapted, or reproduced without written consent.
• Trainer authorisation does not confer ownership of PETMA™ intellectual property.

5.9 Digital Platforms and Access

• Access to PETMA™ digital platforms is role-specific and time-limited.
• Login details must not be shared.
• NIIDS may suspend or terminate access where misuse or breach occurs.

5.10 Confidentiality and Data Protection

• Participants must respect the confidentiality of case discussions, reflective material, and shared information.
• Personal data is processed in accordance with GDPR and NIIDS Data Protection Policy.

5.11 Suspension or Withdrawal of Authorisation

NIIDS may suspend or withdraw PETMA™ Trainer authorisation where:

• PETMA™ fidelity is breached
• plagiarism or assessment misconduct is identified
• safeguarding or safety concerns arise
• professional or ethical standards are not maintained
• governance or reputational risk is identified

Action taken will be proportionate to the level of risk and may be temporary or permanent.

6. Acceptance of Terms

Participation in the PETMA™ TTT NCSE Programme, access to programme materials, or progression through the programme constitutes acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.

7. Monitoring, Review, and Governance

This policy is reviewed in line with:

• NIIDS governance arrangements
• NCSE oversight expectations
• Department of Education policy developments

8. Related Policies and Documents

• NIIDS–NCSE Contract
• PETMA™ TTT Governance and Assurance Framework
• Safeguarding Policy
• Data Protection Policy
• Plagiarism Policy
• Assessment of Learners Policy
• Complaints Policy
• PETMA™ Trainer MoU

Full policy

PETMA™ Programme Privacy, GDPR & Use of Moodle

1. Purpose of this Addendum

This addendum updates and supplements the existing GDPR and Data Protection Policy to explicitly reflect the delivery of the PETMA™ Programme, including the use of online learning platforms (notably Moodle), blended delivery models, portfolio-based assessment, mentorship, and national Train‑the‑Trainer (TTT) governance arrangements. It should be read alongside the main policy and forms part of NIIDS’ GDPR‑compliant, privacy‑by‑design framework.

2. Scope of PETMA™ Data Processing

In addition to existing organisational processing activities, NIIDS processes personal data in connection with the PETMA™ Programme, including:

• Registration and enrolment of learners and trainers
• Delivery of online learning modules (Modules 1–6)
• Portfolio submission, assessment, and verification
• Mentorship and trainer development records
• Face‑to‑face attendance, assessment and authorisation records
• Programme governance, quality assurance and audit

3. Use of Moodle (Learning Management System)

NIIDS uses Moodle as the primary Learning Management System (LMS) for delivery of the PETMA™ Programme.

Moodle is used to:

• Provide secure access to online learning content (Modules 1–6)
• Manage learner and trainer accounts and authentication
• Facilitate submission of portfolio evidence and assignments
• Apply access controls, sequencing rules, and progression gates
• Support assessment, feedback, and verification processes
• Maintain an auditable record of programme participation and completion

Moodle access is role‑based and restricted according to user status (e.g. learner, trainer‑in‑training, assessor, administrator). Users can only access data necessary for their role.

4. Categories of Personal Data Processed

In the context of PETMA™, NIIDS may process the following categories of personal data:

• Identification data (name, email address, organisational role)
• Professional information (role, qualifications, training history)
• Learning records (module completion, assessments, feedback)
• Portfolio content (written reflections, applied tasks, evidence of learning)
• Attendance and authorisation records
• Limited special category data where voluntarily disclosed within reflective learning tasks

NIIDS does not require the disclosure of sensitive personal data for participation in the programme. Where reflective content includes personal or sensitive information, processing is minimised and protected through strict access controls.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Personal data within the PETMA™ Programme is processed under the following lawful bases as defined by GDPR (Article 6):

• Performance of a contract: delivery of training, assessment and certification services
• Legal obligation: compliance with regulatory, audit and safeguarding requirements
• Legitimate interests: quality assurance, programme governance, and continuous improvement

Where special category data arises incidentally through reflective learning, processing is carried out in line with Article 9(2)(g) and appropriate safeguards.

6. Data Minimisation & Privacy by Design

NIIDS applies a privacy‑by‑design and data‑minimisation approach to the PETMA™ Programme:

• Only data necessary for learning, assessment and governance is collected
• Reflective tasks are structured to avoid unnecessary disclosure
• Access to portfolios and sensitive content is tightly restricted
• Learning materials and governance records are separated within systems

7. Data Retention

PETMA™ Programme data is retained in accordance with defined retention schedules, including:

• Learner and trainer records: retained for a defined period to support certification, audit and governance
• Portfolio evidence: retained only as long as required for assessment, verification and appeal windows
• Authorisation records: retained in line with programme governance and assurance requirements

Retention periods are reviewed regularly and documented in the NIIDS Data Retention Schedule.

8. Data Security

NIIDS implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect PETMA™ data, including:

• Secure hosting of Moodle with access controls and encryption
• Password‑protected user accounts and role‑based permissions
• Regular system updates, backups and security monitoring
• Restricted administrator access and audit trails

9. Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA)

NIIDS undertakes Data Protection Impact Assessments where required, including for large‑scale or systematic processing associated with national programmes such as PETMA™. DPIAs are reviewed and updated as programme delivery evolves.

10. Data Subject Rights

All participants in the PETMA™ Programme retain their rights under GDPR, including rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, and objection, subject to legal and contractual obligations. Requests are managed in accordance with the main policy.

This addendum confirms that the PETMA™ Programme, including the use of Moodle, is delivered in accordance with GDPR, Irish data protection legislation, and NIIDS’ commitment to ethical, proportionate and secure data processing.

 

Full policy

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Specific List of Functional / Necessary Cookies being used

 

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4. Duration of Cookies

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5. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to access, rectify, or erase personal data collected through cookies. You can also withdraw your consent at any time by adjusting your cookie settings.

6. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We encourage you to review this policy periodically for any updates.

7. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Cookies Policy or our cookie practices, please contact us at info@niids.ie By using our Moodle platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Cookies Policy and agree to the use of cookies as described herein.