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Connections June 2012 social work Farewell from the GSCC Newsletter of the General Social Care Council Disclaimer | Copyright notice | Privacy Policy | Accessibility | www.gscc.org.uk | Issue 17 | June 2012
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Page 1: Connections - General Social Care Council: Welcome

ConnectionsJune 2012

social work

Farewell from the GSCC

Newsletter of the General Social Care Council

Disclaimer | Copyright notice | Privacy Policy | Accessibility | www.gscc.org.uk | Issue 17 | June 2012

Page 2: Connections - General Social Care Council: Welcome

Disclaimer | Copyright notice | Privacy Policy | Accessibility | www.gscc.org.uk | Issue 17 | June 2012

As you may be aware, the General Social Care Council (GSCC) is closing on 31 July 2012 and our regulatory functions are transferring to the Health Professions Council (HPC), to be renamed the Health and Care Professions Council from 1 August.

This will be our last issue of Social Work Connections and it contains information you need on what to do next in light of the transfer, whether you are a UK qualified social worker, an internationally qualified social worker or a social work student.

We reveal the poll results from the March edition, which tells us which GSCC policy you think has had the biggest impact over the last 10 years, and we hear from our Head of Registration about the highs and lows of making social work a regulated profession.

Our Chief Executive Penny Thompson takes this opportunity to say goodbye and share her thoughts on the future of social work regulation.

The Social Work Connections microsite will continue to be available until the end of July. From August past editions will be available on The National Archives website, in case you need to access any old articles for historical information. If you want to continue to be updated with sector-related news and information, have a look at our directory page which has a list of useful organisations.

To mark the closure of the GSCC we have pulled out some memorable quotes from sector leaders, social workers and service users. You will find them throughout this final issue.

The HPC publishes a free e-newsletter called HPC In Focus every two months. Each edition includes registration renewal reminders and a range of news and information including details of consultations, forthcoming events, conferences and exhibitions either organised by the HPC or which they will be attending, key Council decisions, diary dates, partner appointments and more. It is not currently automatically sent to all registrants, you must opt-in to receive it and do not need to be registered with the HPC to subscribe. To sign-up now email [email protected].

Finally, from all of us on the editorial team, we hope you enjoy our last issue and would like to thank you for your readership over the past four years. All your comments and poll responses have ensured we were kept well-informed on the opinions and thoughts of the social work profession.

Welcome to the final issue of Social Work Connections Contents

02. Welcome to the final issue ofSocial Work Connections

News04. Important transfer

information for social workers and students

05. Community Care Live 2012

05. The College of Social Work

08. Health ProfessionsCouncil (HPC) consultation on the registration of social work students in England

08. HPC transfer events

13. Who to contact from 1 August 2012

Features03. Farewell from Penny Thompson,

GSCC Chief Executive

06. The GSCC: A 10-year review

07. The GSCC policy with the biggest impact on social workers

09. Case study: Gail Gibson, Head of Registration at the GSCC

10. A look back through the thoughts and views of social workers

12. GSCC learning and research reports

Welcome

Social Work Connections2

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Farewell from Penny Thompson, GSCC Chief Executive Dear reader

As I’m sure you know this is the final edition of your quarterly e-newsletter, Social Work Connections. The GSCC will close on 31 July and our regulatory functions will transfer to the Health Professions Council (HPC). So from 1 August the renamed Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) will be the new social work regulator.

The General Social Care Council (GSCC) was established back in 2001 with the objective of raising standards in the sector and protecting the public. With the introduction of national codes of practice, practitioner accountability and compulsory regulation, the GSCC has made good strides over the past 10 years in achieving many of its aims.

Registering the entire social work profession was quite a challenge but we were committed to establishing a comprehensive register and relished the task. As a result of this work, at the end of July we will hand over a register of over 105,000 social workers and social work students to the HPC. Another key area of our work worth noting is that of our conduct function. This has helped increase public protection by ensuring that only those who are trained, trusted and committed to high standards remain in the profession and those unsuitable to practise are prevented from working with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. In addition, compulsory registration has helped to professionalise social work, bringing it on a par with other regulated professions such as medicine, nursing and law.

In order to leave a positive legacy to the sector, we are in the process of producing a suite of learning and research reports, which draw upon our experience of regulating social workers and students over the past 10 years. You can read more about these reports later in this issue. We have also played a significant part in sector reforms. Our role on the Social Work Task Force and the subsequent Social Work Reform Board has led to changes in social work education which will improve the calibre of entrants into social work training and the quality and availability of practice placements, as well as ensuring that the social work curriculum meets the needs of employers. The introduction of a career long ‘Capabilities Framework’ has established a clear set of expectations for social workers, managers and educators. The College of Social Work will play a crucial role in taking forward this work, once we have gone. I hope that social workers embrace The College and its mission of becoming the voice of the profession and the driver of excellence.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to say farewell and wish you all the very best for the future. I hope you have enjoyed reading Social Work Connections, and that you found the articles interesting and informative.

With very best wishes

Penny Thompson

Feature

Photograph: authors own

...[we have] helped increase public protection by ensuring that only those who are trained, trusted and committed to high standards remain in the profession and those unsuitable to practise are prevented from working with some of the most vulnerable members of our society

Thank you Penny [Thompson, GSCC CEO]…for the work you have done over these past two years; for your leadership and determination to move the profession forward.

Paul BurstowMinister of State for Care Services(Community Care Live 2012)

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Information for social workers

As long as you are on the register at the end of July then we will pass your details to the Health Professions Council (HPC) and they will write to you in August with details on what you need to do next. In the short term please make sure we have up-to-date contact details for you. Details on how inform us of any changes to your personal information can be found on the right.

Information for final year students and newly UK qualified social workers If you have just qualified, or are about to, and need to register as a qualified social worker please follow the advice given in the email we sent to you in April. Please do not forget to check that your

higher education institution (HEI) has sent us your pass result before you send in your application. If you apply in July you will also need to send us proof that you have a job offer that is dependent on registration. We estimate that we will need to receive your application by 18 July at the very latest to allow us to assess your application before our closure on 31 July. From 1 August you should apply for registration directly with the Health Professions Council.

Information for social work students

We will be transferring the student part of the register to the Health Professions Council (HPC) when we close. HPC’s Council will be making a final decision on student registration in the coming months and will then publish the outcome and guidance for students. In the meantime please keep us up-to-date with your personal information, as detailed on the right.

Information for all registrants

When the transfer happens, your registration details will be passed to the HPC, who will contact you about their registration requirements. It is essential that the contact details we have for you are up-to-date.

If you have set-up a MyGSCC online account you can update your details using MyGSCC until 18 July 2012. If you do not have an account but would like to use MyGSCC, you can still set-up an account until 30 June 2012.

Important transfer information for social workers and students

You can also notify us of changes to your details over the telephone on 0845 070 0630; by emailing us at [email protected]; or by post to the following address:

GSCCThe Changes TeamMyson HouseRailway terrace RugbyCV21 3HT

Please send us any changes to your details before 18 July 2012, after this date any changes we receive will be passed on to HPC with your registration data.

Photograph: MrSchuReads

News

I have worked for the last 14 years as a service user educator and worked with the GSCC, as well as with many other local, regional and national partners to develop social work practice. I have been so inspired by the people I have worked with, the progress we have made (even if at times we have travelled a rugged and bumpy journey together), that I have decided to enter practice myself.

Gina Ex GSCC visitor, now social work student (2012)

Social Work Connections4

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Community Care Live 2012 On 16 and 17 May we exhibited jointly with the HPC at the annual Community Care Live conference in London. Over the two days our stand was flooded with delegates wanting to know about the forthcoming changes to social work regulation.

At the event our Chief Executive Penny Thompson chaired a keynote from Paul Burstow, Minister of State for Care Services. The focus of his talk was the critical and positive role that social workers play in social care.

You can find about the transfer in this edition of Social Work Connections and by visiting the FAQs on our website.

The College of Social Work Since work began on establishing The College of Social Work more than two years ago, it has made significant strides towards achieving its goal of leading and representing the profession.

The College is supporting local authorities to implement the child protection reforms set out in the Munro review and is active in shaping the future of social work with adults, where the policy of personalisation and the financial cuts have raised major challenges.

In this climate, social workers are joining The College so they have a strong, national voice at this critical time for the profession. Having recruited nearly 10,000 prospective members, The College is making good progress and has recently opened its doors to paying members.

The College has been working closely with the Social Work Reform Board, which has passed them responsibility for building on the strengths and aspirations of social workers. The College has taken ownership of the Professional Capabilities Framework and the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework, contributing to more than 100 conferences and events since January to promote these tools to employers and frontline social workers.

For the first time, social workers are taking responsibility, through The College, for the reform of their own profession; a truly revolutionary change.

For further information visit The College of Social Work’s website.

News

Photograph: Karen Welsh

Ivan Lewis MP Minister for Care Services (2007)

I would like to pay tribute to the professional and efficient way the GSCC have fulfilled their responsibilities so far and look forward to working closely with them on this next stage of our joint commitment to raising the status of the entire social care workforce.

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The General Social Care Council (GSCC) was established on 1 October 2001. Born out of the Care Standards Act 2000, it took 25 years of campaigning for the GSCC to come into being. Our creation came at a time when the country was coming to terms with the death of Victoria Climbie, a child who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her carers, despite intervention from health and social care professionals. The failure to prevent Victoria’s death, coupled with a desire to professionalise social work, meant the GSCC’s creation was a welcome addition to the social care landscape and the most significant investment in social care for over 30 years.

Our initial aims were to protect the public, act as the guardian of standards for the social care workforce, and improve the standing and status of the profession. One of our original mission statements was that we were to be the champion of social care workers. However, this caused confusion among the sector and the media as to our role in both holding the workforce to account and a body that represented its interests. This confusion arose because, unlike other professions, social workers did not

have an effective professional body to act as the voice of the profession. However, in time, we learnt that we needed to be clearer about our essential function. So only more recently, with the emergence of the College of Social Work, has a clear distinction between regulator and professional body been helpfully drawn.

Over 10 years we helped to professionalise social work, putting social workers on a par with other regulated professionals they work alongside, such as teachers, doctors and lawyers. We created England’s first comprehensive register of social workers; upgraded the social work qualifying standard from a two-year diploma to an accredited three-year degree; established a set of standards that all social workers agree to adhere to; set up a conduct process to ensure social workers are held to account if they breach those standards; and ensured

that continual training and development was a key part of continuous registration. The main driver for this work was to raise standards in social work and increase public protection.

Looking forward, as we pass the baton to the HPC we wish them the very best in their new role in regulating social work professionals. With a strong College to champion best practice and act as the voice of social work, we are confident that the professionalism of social work will continue and we are proud to have played such a big part in beginning the process.

The full 10-year review will be contained in the GSCC’s Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12, which is due to be published next month and will be available on our website.

The GSCC: A 10-year review

Feature

It’s admirable that the GSCC and staff are moving forward with such conviction especially as the Government has decided to close it down. This update is really good and I am really glad to know what’s been done for us by our regulator. Thank you.

JasmineSocial worker (2012)

Photograph: Trisram D

awahoo

Social Work Connections6

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Poll results

Conduct hearing outcomes - June Please note that this information relates to hearings concluded from 24 February 2011 to 24 May 2012.

For the full list of hearings and sanctions, please visit : www.gscc.org.uk/page/45/Conduct+hearings.html

Removals 10Suspensions 7 Admonishments 7Allegations not proved 1

To mark the closure of the General Social Care Council and celebrate the work we have done to regulate the social work profession, in the last issue of Social Work Connections (March) we asked “Which GSCC policy has had the biggest impact over the past 10 years?”*

Six hundred and twenty-six of our readers responded to the poll with over half telling us that “compulsory registration and legal protection of the title ‘social worker’” (350 votes - 56 per cent) has had the biggest impact.

The “introduction of a code of practice” came the second highest with 176 votes (28 per cent) and the “social work degree replacing the diploma” received 100 votes (16 per cent).

Registration and protection of title, as well as the introduction of the codes of practice, and the social work degree, which we worked very closely with the Department of Health to establish, are all areas of work that have contributed to the professionalisation of social work; putting it on a par with other regulated professions such as teaching and medicine. We, as the departing regulator, are very proud of these achievements and hope to see the profession continue to flourish in the future.

The GSCC policy with the biggest impact on social workers

Which GSCC policy has had the biggest impact over the past 10 years?

• Compulsory registration and legal protection of the title ‘social worker’, putting social work on a par with other professions such as teaching, law and medicine – 350 votes (56 per cent)

• The social work degree replacing the Diploma in Social Work, thus raising the academic level of those entering the profession – 100 votes (16 per cent)

• The introduction of a code of practice, giving social workers standards of professional conduct and making them accountable for their practice – 176 votes (28 per cent)

Total responses: 626 (between 7 March - 2 May 2012)

Feature

...the GSCC has been working to deliver the Task Force recommendation on more transparent and effective regulation of social work education, to assure greater consistency and quality… There are a number of other recommendations to which the GSCC is an important, if not primary, contributor and we would welcome recognition of their role in these.

Moira Gibb Head of the Social Work Reform Board(letter to the Government following the announcement of the GSCC’s abolition 2010)

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At the Health Professions Council’s (HPC) Council meeting on 10 May, the outcome of the consultation on the registration of social work students in England and the students of other professions was announced.

The HPC does not currently register the students of any of the 15 professions that it regulates. However, it is permitted to open voluntary registers for certain

groups following a consultation and an assessment of the impact of regulation in terms of public protection and cost. Social work students are currently registered in England by the GSCC and by the other Care Councils in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The HPC had previously consulted the sector on student registration between 1 November 2011 and 2 March 2012. The consultation asked about the registration of social work students and the registration of students of other professions. The HPC received 126 responses to the consultation. Out of these, 48 per cent said that social work students should be registered, 21 per cent said that they should not and the rest either did not know or did not answer the question. However, of those who responded from the social care and social work sector, 89 per cent said that social work students should be registered, six per cent said that they should not and the rest either did not

Health Professions Council (HPC) consultation on the registration of social work students in England

HPC transfer events Ahead of the regulation of social workers in England transferring from the GSCC to the Health Professions Council (HPC) on 1 August 2012, the HPC is running a series of information events for social workers.

These events will be held from May through to September 2012 and they will offer social workers information about how the transfer will impact on their registration. Social workers can find out more about the free events and sign up for them on the HPC’s events page.

know or did not answer the question.Following analysis of the consultation responses and the independent research commissioned, HPC’s Council agreed that there would not be a student register for the professions it currently regulates in the long term. Penny Thompson the GSCC Chief Executive responded expressing disappointment in the decision and saying that the GSCC would continue to work with the HPC and the Department of Health to highlight the impact of this change on public protection.

In the short term, social work students registered with the GSCC on 31 July 2012 will be transferred over to the HPC, so it is important that students keep their details up-to-date. The HPC’s Council will be making a final decision on social work student registration in the coming months and they will publish the outcome of the decision and guidance for students, so keep an eye on the HPC’s website.

News

The GSCC exists to share support between us all and it all helps.

Zoe Betts [@iamsocialwork]Newly Qualified Social Worker(Twitter, 2012)

Photograph: Niall Kennedy

Photograph: Health Professions Council

Social Work Connections8

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Gail has been at the GSCC from it’s inception in 2001 and was previously at CCETSW (which transferred into the GSCC) for 12 years, heading-up the registration function since 2003.

Here she shares some thoughts and reflection on the regulation of social work, as we pass the baton to a new regulator, the Health Professions Council (HPC), from 1 August 2012.

What has been the most memorable period for you as Head of Registration at the GSCC?

At the time of opening the register in 2003 no one could tell us how many social workers we had in the country and so we could not accurately forecast how many people would be joining the Social Care Register (SCR), which made planning much more interesting! Therefore the most memorable period for me was in the initial set up phase between April 2005 and April 2008 when social workers first joined the register. In late 2004 thousands of applications were arriving at our office every day so we were surrounded by boxes for months! In particular I recall 1

April 2005 when registration for qualified social workers became mandatory and by which time we had assessed the first 40,000 applications to join the SCR. By April 2008, the same social workers were applying to renew their registration and submit their records of post-registration training and learning (PRTL). This was the first cycle of professional registration for social workers and it was a hectic time for us but we got through it and learnt a lot for the next cycle of mass renewals in 2011.

What has been your biggest challenge in the role?

Coping with incredibly high volumes of applications to join and to stay on the register has been the biggest challenge. In recent times, improved processes, simplified forms and better use of technology, have all helped us to improve how we meet this challenge.

During your time at the GSCC, what achievement are you most proud of?

Having worked with social work professionals for over 20 years, I have been proud to be part of building the first register of professional social workers. Being regulated puts social workers on a par with other professionals they work alongside, such as doctors and lawyers.

How has registration helped to drive up standards and protect the public? I think the codes of practice have really helped to drive up professional standards and offer public protection. The codes are an agreed set of standards that all social workers sign up to when they register. This has increased

accountability so when serious breaches of the code occur, action can be taken against registrants to prevent them from working with service users, some of whom are the most vulnerable people in our society.

Also, having a minimum qualification standard, which is now the social work degree, and the requirement for registrants to provide evidence of ongoing training and learning as part of the registration renewal process, has helped to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date and therefore raise standards in the sector.

Where do you see professional regulation of social workers going under the HPC?

We will be handing over an established register of over 87,000 qualified social workers and 18,000 social work students to the HPC, which is going to be a major addition to their existing suite of registered professionals. However, this is also an exciting time of change, coinciding with the set up of the College of Social Work, meaning the very landscape of social work is changing. Going forward I hope that the status and standing of social work will continue to improve (TV programmes like the Protecting our Children series is a good start) and that social workers start to get the recognition they deserve for the crucial work they do.

Case study: Gail Gibson, Head of Registration at the GSCC

Feature

Photograph: Trisram D

awahoo

Social Work Connections 9

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A look back through the thoughts and views of social workers Sherry Malik, Deputy Chief Executive, GSCC

The poll has been a feature of every Social Work Connections (SWC) edition since it was launched in 2008. The polls have encouraged debate, highlighted dilemmas and provoked comment. In this, our last issue of SWC, it is fitting that we take a look back at some of the poll questions and findings which exercised our readers most.

In 2008 the tragic death of Peter Connelly had a major impact on how the public viewed social workers. We asked a three part question1 which revealed how social workers were experiencing the public’s perception following the extensive media coverage. Social workers clearly did not feel valued by the public in light of the Baby Peter backlash against the profession.

1. Do you think the public value the role that social workers play in society?

• Yes - 11 per cent

• No - 89 per cent

Respondents: 731

Do the public value social workers as much as other professionals, such as teachers or nurses?

• Yes - 4 per cent

• No - 96 per cent

Respondents: 615

Has the case of Baby P and other recent high profile cases damaged the public’s view of social work?

• Yes - 97 per cent

• No - 3 per cent

Respondents: 680

However, what social workers do on a daily basis is not clear to the general public and to judge them through the lens of a terrible tragedy is unfair. Programmes such as the BBC’s filming of the Bristol child protection team have been able to redress the balance somewhat, but we need more champions for the profession willing to talk about the complexities of the work and decision-making. Social workers do a fantastic job day in day out, in very challenging circumstances and they can feel proud of the difference they make every day to the lives of vulnerable people.

One of the ambitions of the Social Work Reform Board was to ensure that newly qualified social workers were given proper support and reflective supervision, a balanced caseload and mentoring to allow them to gain confidence as fully qualified practitioners. Although this has not resulted in a proper licence to practise scheme, as was envisaged, it is being upheld as good practice for all employers. If, as Munro recommends, we reduce bureaucracy, targets and IT-based assessments, then it is vital that initial training and support is strengthened so that we have a skilled, confident and well-trained workforce. You valued a balanced caseload and high quality supervision as the most critical elements of the support for newly qualified social workers.2

2. What would be the most beneficial aspect of the proposed assessed year for NQSWs?

• Time for study, contact with mentors, etc 8 per cent

• Good quality supervision 34 per cent

• Access to research literature and training opportunities 5 per cent

• Good quality ICT 1 per cent

• A managed and balanced case-load 53 per cent

Respondents: 644

Feature

Social Work Connections10

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Increasingly, drug, alcohol and substance misuse are a feature in many of the cases social workers are involved with. All social workers need a good understanding of and the confidence to be able to address and work with these issues. Without a degree of knowledge and expertise in this area, there is a potential for the issues to be viewed through a narrow lens, or the level of risk misjudged.

While there is specialist training on drug, alcohol and substance misuse at PQ level, a huge percentage of social workers responding to our poll3 told us in September 2010 that they thought that this training should be integral to the social work degree and not just a specialist subject.

The last poll I want to highlight was from June 20114, when we asked you whether it was important that those who assess the practice of students should be social workers themselves. As a social work student many moons ago, I was lucky enough to be trained by two very experienced social workers as my practice educators – they were great role models from whom I understood what it meant to be a social worker as distinct from other related professions. However good they may be, I don’t think I would have learnt as much about my role and task as a professional social worker had my practice educator been from another profession. I am happy to say you agreed with me!

I also want to take this opportunity, as editor of SWC for the past two years, to wish you well in your future as social workers. I hope the profession, of which I am a part, goes from strength-to-strength. These are challenging times for many families and now more than ever, the public needs confidence in the skills and expertise of social workers to support them.

4. How important is it that your practice assessor is a registered social worker?

• Very important 90 per cent

• Quite important 6 per cent

• Not important 4 per cent

Respondents: 812

3. Should training on drug, alcohol and substance misuse:

• be included within the core learning of the Social Work Degree? 89 per cent

• continue to just be offered within post-qualifying courses? 11 per cent

Respondents: 1,025

Photograph: Trisram D

awahoo

I congratulate the GSCC for developing a robust new post-qualifying framework for social workers to continue developing their skills and knowledge after qualifying.

Stephen Ladyman MPCommunity Minister (2004)

Feature

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The GSCC will have been in existence for almost 11 years when it closes on 31 July 2012. Throughout this period of time we have learnt a significant amount both about the social work profession but also about how to regulate the profession successfully.

In order to capture our achievements as well as to help others learn from our experience we are producing three

learning reports, which are being launched in the run-up to our closure. We hope that other regulators and the social work sector more widely will be interested in these findings.

The first report, which was published in May, set out what we have learnt about involving services users in the work of the GSCC and looked at how we attempted to put service users at the heart of what we did. This included bringing service users into the inspection of universities providing the social work degree, as well as into the consultation about the Code of Practice for Social Care Workers.

The second report, out later this month, will focus on our registration and conduct function. It sets out what we have learnt about the characteristics of who registered with the GSCC, as well as the types of misconduct that were found by our conduct panels.

The final report, which will be published later on in June, will focus on the regulation of social work education and what we learnt about those who studied on the social work degree. It also covers what we have learnt from regulating the universities who trained social workers.

Two research reports, one on the provision of practice placements and the other on inspecting Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) courses have also been published recently.

We hope the reports together will help to capture important lessons from the years that we have spent as the regulator for social workers in England. Keep an eye on our website to read the full reports.

GSCC learning and research reports

Thank you for putting on such an excellent annual conference and for changing my perceptions. I’m leaving even prouder of being a social worker than when I arrived!

Lynda BowenSocial Worker (2004)

Photographs: Trisram D

awahoo

Feature

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After the GSCC closes on 31 July, you may still have questions about your registration, which will transfer to the Health Professions Council, or be interested in being kept up-to-date with sector news and information. We have put together a list of organisations that may be able to help you going forward.

Who to contact from 1 August 2012

Department of HealthThe Department of Health provides strategic leadership for public health, the NHS and social care in England. Its purpose is to improve England’s health and wellbeing for all.

Ministerial Correspondence and Public, Enquiries Unit, Department of Health, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2NS.

Health Professions Council (HPC)The HPC (to be renamed Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) from 1 August 2012) will be taking over the regulation of social workers. If you have any question about your registration on or after 1 August 2012 contact the HPC for advice.

Health Professions Council, Park House, 184 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4BU.

The College of Social WorkThe College of Social Work enables the development of the profession, responding to current and future challenges, in turn benefitting the people the profession exists to serve. It acts as the public voice of social work, representing social work and social workers in the media, with Government and with employers.

The College of Social Work, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5BH.

The British Association of Social Workers (BASW)BASW is the professional association for social work in the UK. They promote the best social work services for all people who may need them, while also securing the wellbeing of social workers.

The British Association of Social Workers, 16 Kent Street, Birmingham, B5 6RD.

Tel - 0121 622 3911Website - www.basw.co.uk Email - [email protected]

Tel - 020 7210 4850Website - www.dh.gov.uk Online contact form - www.info.doh.gov.uk/contactus.nsf/memo?openform

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)SCIE improves the lives of people who use care services by sharing knowledge about best practice. They are an independent charity working with adults, families and children’s social care and social work services across the UK.

Social Care Institute for Excellence, Fifth floor, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5BH.

Tel - 020 7024 7650Website - www.scie.org.uk Email - [email protected]

Skills for Care (SfC)Skills for Care (SfC) ensures that England’s adult social care workforce has the appropriately skilled people in the right places working to deliver high quality social care. To achieve this, SfC focus on the attitudes, values, skills and qualifications people need to undertake their roles.

Skills for Care, West Gate, 6 Grace Street, Leeds, LS1 2RP

Tel - 0113 245 1716Email - [email protected]

Tel - 020 7024 7650Website - www.collegeofsocialwork.org Online contact form; www.collegeofsocialwork.org/contact-us/

Tel - 0845 300 4472Website - www.hpc-uk.org Email - [email protected]

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Social Work Connections 13


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