Welcome to the social care sector and a career in social care that offers challenging and rewarding opportunities to work with adults, children, young people, families and older people.
You have joined the largest workforce within the NI Health and Social Care sector and your role is vital to ensuring the people you support receive the care and support they need.
Registration with the Social Care Council
You are now a registrant of the Social Care Council, the regulatory body for social care and social workers in Northern Ireland. As a registered social care worker (registrant) you are required to work to the Standards of Conduct and Practice which are binding on all social care workers.
To maintain your registration with the Social Care Council and to evidence that you are meeting your Standards of Conduct and Practice you must undertake and record a minimum of 90 hours of continuous learning and development during each registration period (every 5 years for social care workers) – this is called Post Registration Training and Learning or PRTL.
NB: It is vital that you keep a record of all your learning and development as you can be called for PRTL Audit.
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Continuous Learning and Development
Continuous learning and development is the ongoing improvement of skills, competencies, capabilities and knowledge throughout your career and can be achieved in various ways for example:
- Through life, learned experience and work
- Having conversations/listening, observing, reading, questioning, mentoring and coaching (this can be with your peers and/or managers).
- Undertaking qualifications
- Attending in-house and other training
- Undertaking digital learning for e.g. Learning Zone and SCIE
- Supervision/one-to-ones
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Induction – Why is this important?
All new social care workers entering the workforce must undertake induction. This is the first step along your continuous learning and development journey.
What is Induction?
It sets out the first things a new worker needs to know to allow you to do your job safely and effectively within the first three to six months of starting work.- It is a way to check your knowledge and understanding of your new role and responsibilities.
- It should help support you to identify your strengths and what additional learning you will need to improve your practice.
NB: You will be supported by your employer to complete your induction.
NB: The SCC has developed guidance and a digital resource to support your induction – see Induction Programme for Social Care Workers below.
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Social Care Workforce Reform
The social care workforce is about to change. The Northern Ireland Social Care Council have been commissioned by the Department for Health to develop:
- a continuous professional learning framework,
- career development pathway,
- qualification-based register for social care workers.
This will mean there will be a new practice framework – Care in Practice to support social care workers develop professionally and all new social care workers will be required from September 2024 to obtain a new work-based entrance qualification – the Safe and Effective Care Practice Certificate.
See Social Care Workforce Reform for more information.
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Learning Zone Resources
The Social Care Council have developed a range of digital learning resources to support your continuous learning and development journey. Go to Learning Resources to find out more.
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More Information and Guidance
Click on the tiles below to access digital guides providing more information about registration with the Social Care Council, the Standards and induction.
See Associated Resources for quick access to key guidance documents including: Standards for Conduct and Practice for Social Care Workers, Induction Programme for Social Care Workers and Evidence Workbook.