As a social care practitioner or an enhanced social care practitioner, 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 and Standards
As a registrant of the Social Care Council you are required to work to the Standards of Conduct and Practice for Social Care Practitioners which are binding on all social care practitioners.
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 practitioners) – this is called Post Registration Training and Learning or PRTL.
Completing continous professional learning or CPL supports you to evidence you are meeting the following standards:
- Standard of Conduct 6: As a social care worker, you must be accountable for the quality of your work and take responsibility for maintaining and improving your knowledge and skills.
- Standard of Practice 6: Develop yourself as a social care worker.
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The Care in Practice (CiP) Framework
A new Care in Practice (CiP) Framework has been developed and launched to support social care practitioners to develop professionally by providing two interlinked pathways:
- a continuous professional learning pathway, and
- a qualification pathway to support your career progression.
CiP provides a flexible continuous learning framework and qualifications pathway that puts you in charge of your continuous professional learning.
This can include the following:
- 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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Individualised Learning Plan
Your employer should work with you to develop your individualised learning and development plan. At these levels continuous professional learning is captured as part of your learning and development planning process for your organisation.
As a social care practitioner, once you have completed your induction, which may include the Level 2 Certificate in Safe and Effective Practice, you will be required to continue developing your knowledge, skills and practice through continuous professional learning and/or qualifications which should improve your confidence, competence and capability to work in a person-centred way.
As an enhanced social care practitioner, you will want to develop your experience, knowledge and skills to work with greater complexity or a particular programme of care, for example: dementia, palliative care, challenging behaviour, autism, homelessness, trauma and/or you may want to develop core skills in leadership and management.
Go to Social Care Practitioner | CIP Framework or Enhanced Social Care Practitioner | CIP Framework to learn more incuding finding out about relevant quaifications you can undertake at each level.
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Learning Zone Resources
The Social Care Council have developed a range of resources to support your continuous professional learning and development journey including digital guides and learning resource providing you with more information about standards, induction and Post Registration, Learning and Training as follows:
- Standards for Conduct and Practice for Social Care Practitioners
- Induction Programme for Social Care Practitioners
- PRTL Requirements for Social Care Practitioners and Social Care Managers
Scroll down to access these resources or go to Learning Resources to find out more.
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More Information and Guidance
See Associated Resources for quick access to key guidance documents and forms including: Induction Programme for Social Care Practitioners, Induction Programme Evidence Workbook and PRTL Guidance for Social Care Registrants.