General Social Care Council

Apply for registration

Our step by step guide to joining the Social Care Register

The register is currently open to qualified social workers (both UK-qualified and social workers who trained and qualified outside the UK) and social work students.

How to apply

Step 1 - Find out how registration will affect you

Please read our registration information and select the option that best describes you:

• Social workers qualified in the UK
• Students
• Social workers trained and qualified outside the UK
• Employers and Employment Agencies
• Re-applying to join the Social Care Register
• Additional country registration and transfer of registration 

Step 2 - Complete the application form

To join the Social Care Register you will need to complete an application. You can download a copy of the relevant application form and supporting documents or order an application pack by post. To download an application, choose from the options below:

• Social workers trained and qualified in the UK
• Students
• Social workers trained and qualified outside the UK
• Renewal of registration
• Re-applying to the Social Care Register as a qualified Social Worker

Completed forms should be returned to:

Registration
General Social Care Council
Myson House
Railway Terrace
Rugby
CV21 3HT

Step 3 - Processing your application

When your application is received by the GSCC, it will be checked to make sure that all sections have been completed and that all relevant documents and payment are enclosed.

Please Note: If the application form is incomplete, it will be returned to you.

If your application is complete it will then move on to the next stage of processing and we will send you an acknowledgement of your application to confirm receipt.

Check the latest registration processing times

If you have not received an acknowledgment after 10 working days, please call us to make sure that we have received it. If we require any further information from you about your application, we will contact you.

To establish your suitability for inclusion on the Social Care Register an assessment of any declarations or additional information contained in your application form may be required, and this might mean that it will take longer to process your application. This assessment will usually be carried out by the Conduct Intake and Assessment Service team.

We would encourage you to provide us with as much information as possible in relation to any declarations made as this should speed up the assessment of your application.

The majority of applications do not require further investigation, however, as the regulator for social workers in England, we must be satisfied any applicant meets the requirements for registration as set out under the GSCC Registration Rules (2008).

You should receive a registration pack within 7 - 10 working days of our decision to register you.

Step 4 - Post-registration

Once your registration has been confirmed you can check our website to confirm your registration details. You can find out more about maintaining your registration using the links below.

• Check the register; and
• Post-registration

Once registered you can keep your details up-to-date, tell us about changes or find alternative ways to pay by using MyGSCC, an on-line service for registrants.

To find out about our registration policies please telephone our Helpline on 0845 0700630. (If you are calling from outside the United Kingdom please telephone +44 (0)1788 532402.). Alternatively please email us at registration@gscc.org.uk

Useful resources

Registration rules 3.4.08 - General Social Care Council Rules for Registration 2008 and explanatory notes