Social workers who qualified on or after 1 April 2011 must achieve two PiP requirements within the first three year registration period after successfully completing their AYE.
- Rule 9 (6) (a) 1 of the NI Social Care Council Registration Rules (2025); The Council shall only grant an application to renew registration where it is satisfied that the registrant has satisfactorily fulfilled any condition attached to the registration.
- Schedule 3 Rule 9 (6)(c) (2)(a) Social workers in the first three-year period of registration following successful completion of the Assessed Year in Employment shall complete a minimum of two requirements of the Northern Ireland Consolidation Award within the period of registration.
- Extensions and Non-Completion of Two PiP Requirements. A social worker may apply for an extension to their two requirements date in exceptional circumstances ,(Registration) Rules 2025 ( Rule 9.9). Add Link when available.
- Upon successful completion of Two Pip Requirements a social worker’s registration will be renewed for a further three years during which they must complete a minimum of 90 hours of learning and development.
Supporting Continuous Professional Development
Add graphic re career long learning
Aa regulated professionals all social workers must engage in appropriate career long learning in order to maintain their registration (Registration Rules 9 (6) (c). The Social Care Council Standards of Conduct and Practice for Social Workers (2015): Standard 8.3 states that social workers must;
- Develop yourself and others. This includes: Taking responsibility for your continued professional registration and understanding what is required of you by your regulatory body.
Standard 4.4 Standards for Employers (updated 2019) state;
- As a social work and social care employer, you must provide learning and development opportunities to enable registrants to strengthen and develop their skills and knowledge. This includes: Supporting registrants to meet the Social Care Council eligibility criteria for registration and its requirements for post registration training and learning.
The Social Care Council provide governance of Post Registration Training and Learning (PRTL) through;
- Biannual audit of PRTL activity of a sample of social workers due to renew their registration (Link to PRTL audit).
- Provision of PRTL audit reports.
- Promotion of certificated learning opportunities through the PiP Framework as evidence of meeting PRTL requirements.
- Provision of digital learning resources to support learning.
Professional Standards
PRTL supports social workers to:
- Maintain current knowledge and skills.
- Apply evidence-informed practice.
- Reflect on and improve their work.
- Provide the best outcomes for people accessing support.
- Meet professional standards and registration requirements.
Quality Assurance
The biannual Post Registration Training and Learning, (PRTL) Audit of social workers and social care managers provides assurance that registrants are meeting the PRTL requirements to the required standards. Submissions are assessed by a team of Professional Advisers (registered and experienced social workers). Standardisation exercises and panel reviews provide assurance that appraisal of evidence is fair and consistent. In exceptional circumstances deferral to the next audit can be considered.