Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) is a
non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process o ...
responsible for raising standards in the country's
social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
,
social care
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
, children and young people's workforce, registering people who work in social work, social care, children's and young people's services, and the regulation of
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
and training.
The SSSC was established in October 2001 by the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act.
The SSSC regulates individuals who provide personal care in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. It is complemented by the
Care Inspectorate, which regulates the organisations responsible for providing care in Scotland.
There are more than 208,000 people working in
social services
Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...
in Scotland. This includes social care workers, social workers, social work students, and children and young people workers. The range of care services provided includes residential and day centres, community facilities, and home-based support.
The SSSC:
* Publishes the national codes of practice
for people working in
social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
, social care, children's and young people's services and their employers
* Registers workers and students in social work, social care, children's and young people's services, and ensures adherence to the national codes of practice. Where people fall below the standards of practice and conduct, the SSSC can investigate and take action.
* Conducts training and
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
, and promotes and regulates the workforce's learning and development
* Leads
workforce development and planning for this workforce in Scotland and provides
national statistics.
People working in the types of services listed below, which are registered with the Care Inspectorate, must also register with the SSSC:
* Residential childcare services
* Children's daycare services
*
Care home services for adults
* Housing support services
* Care at home services
* Managers of
adult day care services.
The SSSC carries out the functions in Scotland of the
sector skills council for people providing social work, social care and children's services in the
UK, known as Skills for Care and Development. It works in partnership with employers to develop the workforce and invest in
workforce planning. This includes developing
National Occupational Standards (NOS), which underpin qualifications for registration and outline the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary for an effective workforce.
Skills for Care and Development is a partnership between:
*
Social Care Wales
*
Northern Ireland Social Care Council
*
Skills for Care in England
* Scottish Social Services Council.
Governance and oversight
In April 2024,
BetterCareScotland called on the Scottish Parliament to address the need for independent oversight of social care regulation in Scotland by a professional body with risk management, regulatory, compliance, analytical and lay expertise to eradicate poor practices that expose women to the risk of abuse in care homes for older people in Scotland and loopholes that enable its cover-up.
See also
*
Social care in Scotland
References
External links
*
Their Official Youtube Channel
Welfare in Scotland
Social work organisations in the United Kingdom
2001 establishments in Scotland
Government agencies established in 2001
Social Services Council
Organisations based in Dundee
Social care in Scotland
Regulators of Scotland
{{Scotland-gov-stub