New Registration For Care Workers Who Look After Older People, Children And Vulnerable Adults

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 17 Feb 2007 - 19:00 PDT

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A new system of training for care workers and the extension of registration to those working in domiciliary care was announced recently (15th Feb 2007) by Care Services Minister, Ivan Lewis.

Mr Lewis stated:

"Today's announcement is an important step forward in our commitment to raising the status of the social care workforce. Registration over time will ensure better skilled and more accountable care workers who will be able to offer disabled people, older people and their carers a higher quality, more personalised service. Having registered the nation's social work professionals we are now moving on to other front line workers who also frequently make a massive difference to the quality of people's lives but who historically have been undervalued and not treated with sufficient respect.

"So today's announcement is good news for both those who provide and use services. I would like to pay tribute to the professional and efficient way GSCC have fulfilled their responsibilities so far and look forward to working closely with them on this next stage of our joint commitment to raising the status of the entire social care workforce."

Following extensive consultation, the General Social Care Council recommended that social care workers and managers working in children's care homes and domiciliary care agencies, along with those working in care homes for older people and care homes for adults, residential family centres, fostering agencies and adoption agencies should be registered. They also recommended that social care workers on the register should complete training to acquire a qualification at NVQ level 2 during their first period of registration.

The first of these groups to be able to join the register when it is extended later this year will be those working in domiciliary care. Ivan Lewis also unveiled a £1 million development fund for all universities planning to offer Post Qualifying social work programme from this September. This one off funding will go towards helping social workers develop the specialist skills necessary to provide high quality services to the public.

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Notes:

This register applies to England only.

Under section 56 of the Care Standards Act 2000 the GSCC shall maintain a register of social workers and social care workers of any other description "The Social Care Register" is a register of people who work in social care, and have been assessed as trained and fit to be in the workforce. Over time, social care workers of all levels will be registered - from care workers through to directors of social services.Registration will ensure that those working in social care meet rigorous registration requirements and will hold them to account for their conduct by codes of practice. Qualifications, health and good character are checked as part of the registration process."

For further information please go to:
UK Department of Health

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