What sort of concerns will the GSCC investigate?
Matters that are so serious that they call into question whether a social worker is suitable to continue working in social care. They need to be specific allegations about an identifiable person on the Social Care Register (SCR).
People may refer a matter to us because a registered social worker or social work student:
has taken advantage of their role or abused a person who uses services
their work has fallen well below the standard that is expected with serious or repeated mistakes
has behaved in a way (in or outside work) that their suitability to work in social care is called into question.
(These are just examples and not a full list)
Concerns will be investigated in line with the GSCC’s conduct process. A social worker that is found to be guilty of misconduct can be removed from the register, suspended for a period of up to two years, or have an admonishment (caution, public record) placed against their entry in the SCR for a period of up to five years.
What sorts of things would the GSCC not investigate?
We do not look into general employment issues such as sickness, timekeeping or matters relating to the level of service offered. Complaints about social care services as a whole (rather than the individual social worker or student) should be directed, for adult social care services, to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), and for social care services for children and young people to OFSTED.
The steps of the conduct process
Stage 1: Referral
On receipt of a referral an officer will undertake sufficient enquires to determine whether there is a specific allegation of misconduct against a registered social care worker and whether the person making the allegation wishes to act as the complainant.
Stage 2: Investigation
The GSCC gathers information about the complaint (including, in the latter stages of the investigation, representations from the registrant concerned), and looks to see if there is evidence of misconduct that calls into question their suitability to be registered. If the GSCC investigation concludes that there is a real prospect of finding misconduct, the matter is referred to a conduct committee hearing.
Stage 3: Committees
The GSCC’s independent conduct committee, made up of lay members who do not have a background in the delivery of social care services and experts from the social care field, meets to establish whether there is evidence of misconduct that affects the social worker’s suitability to remain working. If so, it decides on the appropriate sanction (i.e. removal, suspension etc.). Social workers have the right of appeal to the independent Care Standards Tribunal (CST).
The GSCC’s Committees
Preliminary proceedings committee (PPC)
This committee will decide whether to impose an Interim Suspension Order (ISO). If an ISO is imposed the registrant will not be able to practice as a social worker for the duration of that order. The GSCC will refer a social worker to this committee if it is felt:
(a) necessary for the protection of members of the public; and/or
(b) otherwise in the public interest; and/or
(c) in the interests of the registrant concerned
The PPC will review ISOs when they come up to expiry to see if they should be extended or revoked.
Conduct committee
The conduct committee hearing is usually held in public and uses the civil standard of proof. It will consider evidence and decide if the social worker has committed misconduct. If so, it will decide which sanction should be imposed upon the registrant. The conduct committee can decide to:
Remove the social worker from the SCR. This prevents them from working as a social worker.
Suspend the social worker from the SCR for a period not exceeding two years. This would prevent them from working as a social worker for the period of the suspension.
Issue the social worker with an Admonishment (a caution / public record) for a period of up to of five years.
The committee can also decide to issue no sanction
If the case reaches the conduct committee stage, the registrant can attend to put their case either in person or through a legal or trade union representative or a representative from their professional body. They have the right to appeal against the outcome of the conduct committee hearing to the CST.