The GSCC is the regulatory body for Social Workers in the United Kingdom. It's a non-departamental body that promotes and sets standards for qualified social workers ensuring that all workers in the Social Care sector adhere to high professional standards in the UK.
It's an Arm's lenght body sponsored by the UK Department of Health.
Any social worker that wants to work in England as a qualfied social worker must be registered with the GSCC.
The GSCC was set up in 2001 further to the Care Standards Act 2000, which was enacted partly in response to criticisms in the late 1990s of social services in Britain, in particular the high-profile case of Victoria Climbié, a young girl who was abused and eventually killed by her relatives in north London despite having been known to local social services. The GSCC inherited the mantle of the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW), a previous body which had responsibility solely for managing and funding Social Work education. The GSCC was given a broader remit to take a lead not only in education but in the strategic development and promotion of the whole social care sector in Britain.
A major responsibility of the GSCC and other councils is the maintenance of a professional register of Social Workers.
From 1 April 2005 it became a criminal offence to claim to have the title Social Worker without proper qualifications. Social Workers are required to renew their registration every three years, and to undertake a certain amount of professional training and learning during each three-year registration period. In this way the GSCC hopes to raise the standards and reputation of the social care UK workforce.
How to register?
If you are a social worker that is applying outside of the UK, you can download and application form at:
http://www.gscc.org.uk/The+Social+Care+Register/Apply+for+registration/Social+workers+trained+and+qualified+outside+the+UK/Qualifications+-+post+Oct+2008.htm
The qualification equivalency and the assessment criteria, for social workers trained and qualified outside the UK is the degree in social work. This change came into effect from 1 October 2008. If you apply to the register application they will be assessed using the new equivalency.
To apply to the register from 1 October 2008, download the following application form, guidance notes and supporting documents.
Before you do ensure you have reviewed the country assessment guidance ( you can donwload it from the page) to identify whether your qualification will meet the qualification and assessment criteria.
