We are the social care council for England. Similar bodies exist for the rest of the United Kingdom; Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
All four bodies were set up on 1 October 2001 under legislation to regulate the social care profession:
• Care Standards Act 2000 in England and Wales
• Health and Personal Social Services Act 2001 in Northern Ireland
• Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 in Scotland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Social Care Council
7th Floor, Millennium House
Great Victoria Street
Belfast BT2 7AQ
Tel 02890 417600
Fax 02890 417601
Email info@niscc.n-i.nhs.uk
Web www.niscc.info
Scotland
Scottish Social Services Council
Compass House
Discovery Quay
11 Riverside Drive
Dundee DD1 4NY
Tel 01382 207101
Fax 01382 207215
Information service 0845 6030891
Email enquiries@sssc.uk.com
Web www.sssc.uk.com
Wales
Care Council for Wales
6th Floor, West Wing
South Gate House
Wood Street
Cardiff CF10 1EW
Tel 029 2022 6257
Fax 029 2038 4764
Email info@ccwales.org.uk
Web www.ccwales.org.uk
Other bodies set up under the Care Standards Act 2000
- The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC)
- The Social Services Inspectorate (SSI).
NCSC and SSI merged in April 2004 to form the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).
The Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission ceased to exist on 31 March 2009. The Care Quality Commission is the new health and social care regulator for England.
Care Quality Commission ((formerly the Healthcare Commission, Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission)
The inspectorate:
- Carries out local inspections of all social care organisations - public, private, and voluntary - against national standards and publish reports;
- Registers services that meet national minimum standards;
- Carries out inspections of local social service authorities;
- Publishes an annual report to Parliament on national progress on social care and an analysis of where resources have been spent;
- Validates all published performance assessment statistics on social care;
- Publishes the star ratings for social services authorities.
St Nicholas Building
St Nicholas Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 1NB
Tel: 03000 616161
Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk
Web www.cqc.org.uk
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
SCIE contributes to improving the quality and consistency of social care practice and provision through the creation and dissemination of best practice guidelines in social care. SCIE (pronounced sky) is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It has operational independence and is an authoritative voice about what works in social care.
1st Floor, Goldings House
2 Hay's Lane
London SE1 2HB
Tel 020 7089 6840
Web www.scie.org.uk
Other partners
Skills for Care (formerly TOPSS England)
Skills for Care works closely with and on behalf of social care employers to enhance the quality of staff and services in social care.
Albion Court
5 Albion Place
Leeds LS1 6JP
Tel 0113 245 1716
Fax 0113 243 6417
Web www.skillsforcare.org.uk