General Social Care Council

The General Social Care Council (GSCC) is the regulator of the social work profession and social work education in England. We protect the public by requiring high standards of education, conduct and practice of all social workers. Social workers work with some of the most vulnerable people in society, so it is vital that we ensure that only those who are properly trained and committed to high standards practise social work.

The protection of people who use social work services and the public is paramount to the GSCC as a regulator. We expect the highest standards of conduct and care from registered social workers, in accordance with the codes of practice which they sign up to when they register.

The Conduct Group has a duty to look into information received about social workers who may have breached the Codes of Practice. If misconduct is found that is judged serious enough to question the registrant’s suitability to remain on the register, we can remove or suspend them from the register or place an admonishment on their registration.

Taking action when a registered social worker breaches the codes of practice will mean better services for those using social care, and a better reputation for the sector.

The information on this site relates to policies and processes under the General Social Care Council (Conduct) Rules 2008 which came into effect on 4 March 2008.  Information received before this date may be being investigated under the Conduct Rules (General Social Care Council (Conduct) Rules 2003).  To find out which rules a particular case is being investigated under please contact the Conduct Group or if you have a named point of contact please speak to them direct.