The revamped site can be accessed at http://www.gscc.org.uk and, thanks to an accessibility audit and other comments from users, it is now easier to access and to keep up to date than the GSCC’s first site.

The GSCC is the first workforce regulator for the 1.4 million people working in social care in and has registered more than 56,000 social workers in recent months

Mark Oakes, Director of Communication at the General Social Care Council said: “Online communication is growing increasingly important with more and more people now using the internet to meet their information needs or to access services. We are keen to make sure that our site is user-friendly and provides the kind of information people want about our work. The new site reflects our commitment to high quality, modern and accessible communication. It has been designed from the user’s perspective.The new site has a much cleaner look and improved structure that means information is never more than a couple of mouse clicks away. I encourage people to visit the new site to check whether their social worker is registered and hear more about the wide range of work the GSCC is doing to help drive up quality in the social care workforce.”

Among the improvements to the new site are:

Improved content
Easier access to information
A clearer structure to the site based on user feedback
More update to date information thanks to a new content management system.

People can use the website to check whether a social worker is registered with the GSCC. Every social worker in England needs to be on the Social Care Register which is fully searchable by name or location. Tools on the web enable social workers to complete their application forms online. Other enhancements include more accessible information on social work training courses, and the new post-qualifying framework for social workers.

The work was done by web agency DNA following a 3-way pitch. The company is also working with the GSCC to develop an intranet.

Latest news on the website is that bursary application forms for the 2005-06 academic year are now available for students to download.