Tuesday, 13 October 2009 10:47

New regulations now mean that as of 1 October 2009 all residential child care workers in Scotland must now be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or another relevant regulatory body.

Carole Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the SSSC said:
‘Regulation of the social care, children’s and young people’s workforces recognises the vital job workers do on a daily basis. It gives people who use services and carers, like young people in looked after accommodation and their parents, confidence that the staff delivering their social services have to meet high standards of practice to remain in the workforce.

‘It’s important to recognise that not just anyone can do these jobs. They need to gain qualifications and develop their skills throughout their careers just as their colleagues in nursing, teaching and other professions do so that they can do the best job they can. Being part of a registered and regulated workforce makes this happen.’

Over 4,000 residential child care managers, supervisors and workers have now registered with the SSSC bringing the total number of registered social service workers to 30,000. Registration numbers have continued to rise over the last few years since the introduction of required registration for social workers, social work students and now residential child care workers. Required registration means workers in these areas must be registered with the SSSC or another relevant regulatory body.

With the introduction of required registration for managers of care home services for adults and adult day care services from 30 November 2009, the number of registered social service workers will continue to increase, improving standards in the workforce and increases protection for people using the services. In 2010 the regulations will require managers/lead practitioners and practitioners of day care children services to register.

To register with the SSSC workers are required to have or gain qualifications and must also provide evidence of good character and agree to abide by the Code of Practice for Social Service Workers.

ENDS

Notes to the editor

If you require further information contact Vanessa Glenday, Information and Communications Officer, SSSC on 01382 207267.

The new regulations for required registration mean that employers will be committing an offence if after the date of required registration, they employ a worker in a service that requires workers to be registered who is not registered with the SSSC or another relevant regulatory body. This will be monitored by the Care Commission.

This has major implications for the delivery of services and employers will have to be clear about which of their staff are required to be registered.

Required registration for social workers came into force on 1 September 2005. Required registration for residential child care worker came into force on the 30 September 2009. The dates for required registration for other workers is available on the SSSC website: http://www.sssc.uk.com/All+about+Registration/Required+registration/Required+registration.htm

The SSSC was set up in October 2001 under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001.

Its objectives are:

• to protect those who use services
• to raise standards of practice
• to strengthen and support the professionalism of the workforce.

The SSSC has five main tasks:

• to establish registers of key groups of social services staff
• to publish Codes of Practice for all social services staff and for employers
• to regulate the training and education of the workforce
• to promote education and training
• to undertake the functions of Skills for Care and Development, the sector skills council for the social care, children’s’ and young people’s workforce and this includes workforce planning.

Each country in the UK has its own regulatory body for social services.

They are: the Care Council for Wales, the General Social Care Council (England), the Northern Ireland Social Care Council and the Scottish Social Services Council. The Councils are each responsible for the registration and regulation of social services workers in their country. They work in co-operation with other regulatory bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

For further information about the SSSC please visit: www.sssc.uk.com