The General Social Care Council (GSCC) welcomed the publication of a new report that calls for a greater focus on service users in social care regulation.
The report, “Bridging the gap – participation in social care regulation” published by the Better Regulation Task Force, stresses the need to put the interests of service users at the centre of regulation processes and the need for all regulators to work collaboratively with other social care partners.
Commenting on the report, Lynne Berry, Chief Executive of the GSCC, said:
“Service users are already at the heart of the GSCC’s work to raise standards in social care and we are pleased with this encouragement to do more. We incorporate service users’ views into all aspects of our work: codes of practice, registration, conduct, and social work education. Raising standards in order to improve services and offer protection to service users and the public is the ultimate goal and the reason why the GSCC exists.”
The GSCC’s codes of practice set down minimum standards of conduct and practice for social care workers. The codes of practice stress the need for social care workers and their employers to protect the rights and promote the interests of service users and carers, supporting the right to control their lives and make informed choices about their care.
Within social work education, social care service users were involved at every stage of the process in developing the new degree in social work. Universities and colleges continue to involve service users in all their processes, such as selecting candidates, delivering the curriculum, and assessing work.
Registration also plays a crucial role in protecting service users and giving them confidence in the care workers they rely on. Users of social care services can check the GSCC website to whether their social worker is registered, and if they have a serious concern about a registered worker they can ask the GSCC to investigate.
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Notes to editors
1. Media contact details:
Melanie Buckland: 020 7397 5832
Out of hours: 07771 914 481
Registration helpline: 0845 070 0630
2. For further details on registration, please email registration@gscc.org.uk or telephone 0845 070 0630. For other information on the General Social Care Council, visit www.gscc.org.uk or call 020 7397 5800.
3. The General Social Care Council came into being on 1 October 2001. It was set up in England under the Care Standards Act 2000 to establish codes of practice for social care workers and employers, to set up a register of social care workers and to regulate social work education and training. Similar bodies exist in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
GSCC welcomes focus on public involvement