Workforce Registration with the SSSC

In April 2009, the Scottish Government passed Statutory Regulations about a phased programme of compulsory registration of key groups of social services workers in: residential child care, day care services for children, adult residential care, care at home and other support services and school care accommodation.

The Regulations state that once required registration commences for any group of workers, employers/providers must only employ registered workers in relevant posts and that any new recruits to these posts must achieve registration within six months of commencing employment.

This means that service providers will be committing an offence if, after the date of required registration, they employ or continue to employ,  a worker in a service who is not registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or another relevant regulatory body e.g. the General Teaching Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The Care Inspectorate has to the responsibility for enforcing required registration on behalf of Government.  Where workers are not registered appropriately, the Care Inspectorate may make requirements, reflect non-registration in inspection reports and grades and even take enforcement action that could result in the cancellation of registration for care services.  The Care Inspectorate may also take steps to report the service provider to the Procurator Fiscal if necessary.

The Care Inspectorate will contact services on an ongoing basis as SSSC registration is required for parts of the social care workforce.  In addition, providers will be asked for information about their employees’ registration status through our annual return and this will inform our scrutiny activities such as inspection with each service.

Guidance for social care workers applying can be found here

Guidance for verifying and endorsing applications can be found here

The application form for downloading is here