Latest figures released at the opening of the National Social Services Conference in Newcastle reveal local authorities have made some significant progress in their social workers’ registration, but more still needs to be done.
With six weeks remaining for social workers to apply for registration, some councils have nearly all their staff being registered. Others are still not near that benchmark and have a lot more to do:
·5 councils have over 75% of their social workers in the process of being registered and a further 15 are approaching this level
·16,000 applications have been received by the GSCC
·75 councils have under 10% of their social workers with their applications in to date.
Lynne Berry, GSCC Chief Executive said:
“We’re delighted to see the progress made over the last few weeks by councils across the country. The investment they’ve made in registration is an investment in standards, their staff and in quality care for service users.
“There are just six weeks left though for all social workers to apply for registration. We appreciate that this will take a huge effort by social workers and their employers. But the example of these leading authorities shows that a fully registered workforce is achievable now.”
The leaders in registration include Hartlepool, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, Somerset, and Wokingham councils.
It is anticipated that there are still around 20,000 applications due in from social workers in front-line roles. According to the GSCC’s latest information, there are 110 councils who have below a quarter of their social workers in the registration process.
The GSCC is working with these authorities to help them tackle issues that could be holding up registration, and is offering them tailored advice and assistance. The GSCC is also aware that some social workers have queries about the application process. We would advise them to complete their form as much as possible and then call the registration team for assistance.
Information gathered by the GSCC indicates that leadership, clarity on who needs to register and good follow-up to make sure staff apply, is the key to good practice in the leading local authorities. Employers and managers will need to ensure that all their social workers are registered before the legal deadline of 1 April 2005, to avoid repercussions for employment and service delivery.
Press release gscc 028.04
Notes to editors
1. Media enquiries:Imogen Shillito 020 7397 5831 or 07771 914 481
Registration enquiries:0845 070 0630 or registration@gscc.org.uk
2.The GSCC encourages every council to be aware of the data relating to its progress. The GSCC circulates this information to local authority registration contacts, to SOLACE, the LGA, ADSS, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Department of Health. Local authorities attending the National Social Services Conference in Newcastle can visit the GSCC stand (number 62) for details on how their authority is doing and what this means to them.
3.The GSCC’s third monthly progress report on registration was compiled on 18 October 2004. The figures are an indication of progress only and volumes of registrations change daily. The percentage of staff registered is based on figures supplied on the number of social workers eligible for registration provided by each authority to the GSCC. Figures relate to the number of completed applications returned to the GSCC, so contain both registrations and applications being processed.
4.The GSCC has received applications to register from 16,000 social workers in authorities and other employers across the country. Processing times for these applications are expected to rise due to the volumes of applications involved.
5.All applications for registration need to be received by 1 December. The GSCC will give priority to these applications, but cannot guarantee late applications will be processed before the legal deadline of 1 April 2005.
6.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 conduct and 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.