Introduction
We register social workers, social work students and most roles in social care and children and young people services across Scotland.
Use the headers below for more information about each of these roles.
Who we register
Social workers and social work students
Social workers can register with the SSSC if they hold an appropriate social work qualification and are either living in or have gained employment in Scotland.
If you gained your qualification outside Scotland we must assess your qualification against Scottish standards. You cannot work as a social worker until we complete our assessment and accept your qualification.
Once we accept your qualification, the registration rules are the same as for those with a qualification gained in Scotland. This means:
- if you have not worked as a social worker in Scotland before, you can work but must be registered within six months of starting work as a social worker
- if you have worked as a social worker in Scotland before, you must be registered before you can start work.
Outwith Scotland
If you apply for registration, we will process and hold your application for six months. If you do not start living or working in Scotland within this time, we will reject your application. As the initial fee is for processing, we will not refund it.
Returning to social work practice
If you were previously registered with the SSSC but have been off the Register and out of practice for more than two years, you’ll need to meet the return to practice requirements.
Social work students
Social work students should apply for registration as soon as you have a confirmed place on an approved social work degree course. If your application is successful, you will be registered when your course starts.
Non-UK social work qualification
To practise as a social worker in Scotland, you must be registered with the SSSC. To register, one of the criteria you must meet is our qualification assessment criteria. You can apply to register with a non-UK qualification and we will assess it against our criteria. You must pay an application fee of £88 and a non-UK qualification assessment fee of £320 plus possible additional costs and provide detailed information in English about your qualification as it was when you studied to enable us to assess it.
Section 8 of the Professional Qualifications Act 2022 requires the SSSC to publish non UK social work qualifications that have been accepted for registration. You can find them in our publications section.
Workers in social care and children and young people services
We register people working in social care and children and young people services that are registered with the Care Inspectorate. This includes people who work in early years and residential childcare, adult day care and residential care, care at home and housing support services.
You should check with your employer to find out if your role needs registration. Agency and relief workers must also register with us if they are doing a role that requires registration.
Time to register
It is important to apply for registration as soon as possible and within three months of starting your role. You must be registered within six months.
Qualifications
To register you need to hold a relevant qualification or agree to work towards achieving the qualifications required for the job you do.
If you’re registered with another regulator
If you are registered with one of the regulatory bodies listed below you cannot register with us, unless you are a social worker or social work student.
Benefits of registration
What are the benefits of being a registered worker?
Being registered with the SSSC means you are part of a professional workforce like teachers and nurses. Over 175,000 people who care for our most vulnerable people are on our Register. The people you care for are protected because staff follow the SSSC Codes of Practice in their daily work. If practice or conduct falls below the standards in the Codes, we can investigate and take action.
The Codes let you know what’s expected of you as a registrant and the people you work with what they can expect of their care worker.
Gaining a qualification for registration demonstrates you have skills and knowledge to carry out your role, it supports your career, increases your confidence and improves your professional practice.
Access to resources and learning tools
Whatever your role and level of experience, you have access to a range of free resources and apps to support your learning. You will find all the resources and learning tools on our continuous professional learning (CPL) website(Opens new window).
Registration fees
The table below shows registration fees for different roles up to March 2030.
The fees are payable when applying for registration then each year when you complete your annual declaration.
| Role | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | 2029/30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social worker | £88 | £96 | £104 | £112 | £120 |
| Managers of care services and inspectors | £80 | £80 | £80 | £80 | £80 |
| Supervisor/ practitioner | £35 | £39 | £43 | £47 | £51 |
| Support worker | £25 | £28 | £31 | £34 | £37 |
| Social work student | £15 | £15 | £15 | £15 | £15 |