Do you have a qualification gained overseas?

Where an applicant wishes to use an overseas qualification as evidence that they meet the qualification criteria for registration, the SSSC adheres to rules laid out in EU Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications and its accompanying Code of Conduct.

In each case, the SSSC considers firstly whether these rules apply. If they do, the SSSC then assesses the equivalency of the qualification, taking into account any additional, relevant training or professional experience an applicant might have.    

There is a different process for social workers with international qualifications who trained and qualified outside the UK.

There is an assessment fee of £125 in each case and applicants must be able to provide detailed, translated information regarding the content of their training, regardless of how long ago that was. They must also be able to provide detailed information about periods of supervised and assessed practice, which must include supervisors’ records. Evidence of employment history is also required.

The following two questions may help you decide whether or not to submit your overseas qualification for registration purposes.

• Question 1: Are you a national of a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland or do you have enforceable European Community rights?
• Question 2: Does your qualification allow you to undertake the same or similar job roles in your country of training, to those for which you wish to register in Scotland?

If you answered No to either of the questions - your qualification would not be assessed against the SSSC qualification criteria.

Your application for registration would be processed on the basis that you do not hold a qualification equivalent to the SSSC qualification criteria.  If you met all of the other eligibility criteria for registration, your registration would be granted subject to a condition that you achieved a required qualification within three years.

If you answered Yes to both questions - the SSSC would consider your case for having an overseas qualification assessed as evidence of meeting the qualification requirement for registration.

Once you had submitted your Application to Register, the SSSC would write to you to request the additional information needed to assess an overseas qualification. There would be an assessment fee of £125.