Scottish Social Services Council - proposed register changes: consultation

Reduction of the Register to Four Parts

The SSSC Register was originally designed to allow for the gradual expansion of registration, which has ultimately led to the Register being made up of twenty-three different parts. At the moment, people moving to a different care service setting and/or obtaining a promotion are required to formally remove themselves from one part of the Register and apply to a new part. This makes the process of registering with the SSSC time-consuming and confusing for the workforce, employers and the SSSC.

In order to make registration as straight forward and easy to understand as possible, we propose that the Register will be split into four separate parts. The four parts will likely comprise social workers, social work students, social care workforce and children and young people workforce. This takes into account the changing and emerging roles, as well as changes in the way services are delivered.

Streamlining the Register to four parts will reduce the need for people to be registered on multiple parts and also will make the process of getting promoted or changing service an easier and less laborious process.

A simplified Register with an increase in self-service and automation will not only benefit the workforce, it will also result in cost efficiencies within the SSSC as the new Register will cost less to administer, as well as reducing the costs to the sector in supporting staff to register.