BENEFITS

Proposed changes to SSSC registration requirements [Scotland]

Social services is one of Scotland’s largest sectors, employing approximately 210,000 individuals across social work, social care and children and young people’s services – making up roughly 8% of Scotland’s employed population. Those working in social services are often supporting the most vulnerable members of our society. It is vital that they are equipped with the appropriate skills, behaviours, values and approaches to enable them to undertake this work.

Registration and regulation of the social services workforce are long-standing elements of Scottish Ministers’ policy to the delivery of public protection. As the independent regulator for the social services workforce in Scotland, it is the role of the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) to protect the public by registering and regulating social service workers, setting standards for practice, conduct, training and education. 

This consultation seeks your views on various proposed changes to registration requirements which will further strengthen the SSSC’s ability to deliver their public protection functions. These changes are:-

Mandating the registration of three new groups of social service workers with the SSSC, following findings from the SSSC’s consultation on New Registered Groups. These groups are social work assistants, workers in adult day care services and workers in offender accommodation services. This will mean that anyone working as a social work assistant, worker in adult day care services or worker in offender accommodation services in Scotland will have to be registered with the SSSC. Mandating that all social workers working in Scotland are registered with the SSSC. Updating the list of organisations which a social service worker can be registered with, which excludes them from the requirement to be registered with the SSSC.

The consultation can be found at https://consult.gov.scot/children-and-families/proposed-changes-to-sssc-registration-requirements/.

Closing date for responses is 24 September 2026.

Moving children's social care to a not-for-profit model [Wales]

The Welsh Government want your views on 2 proposed changes to children's social care in Wales. These proposals support the move to a not-for-profit model.

The proposals would:-

Stop existing for-profit children's services from expanding after 1 April 2027. Allow foster carers to keep their approval when a fostering service changes from a for-profit provider to a not-for-profit provi