As a social care worker, you make a difference every day supporting people who have been impacted by disability, illness, ageing or other life situations for e.g. homelessness, mental ill health, addiction and/or drugs dependency.
Social care offers you an opportunity to develop your knowledge, skills, competence and capability that could lead to an enhanced role and responsibilities.
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Registration with the Social Care Council
As a registrant of the Social Care Council you are required to work to the Standards of Conduct and Practice for Social Care Workers which are binding on all social care workers. To maintain your registration and evidence that you are meeting your Standards you must undertake and record a minimum of 90 hours of continuous professional learning during each registration period (every 5 years) – this is called Post Registration Training and Learning.
NB: It is important that you keep a record of all your learning and development as you can be called for PRTL Audit.
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Why 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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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.
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 the Standards, induction and post registration training and learning.
See Associated Resources for quick access to key guidance documents and forms including: Induction Programme for Social Care Workers, Induction Programme Evidence Workbook and PRTL Guidance for Social Care Registrants.