We are committed to ensuring our registrants meet the standards of character, conduct and competence necessary to do their job, safely and effectively in line with the Social Care Council Standards of Conduct and Practice.

We investigate concerns about registrants and take action where necessary. The purpose of Fitness to Practise is to protect the public by ensuring Registrants are fit to continue practising.

What it means:

For a Registrant on the Social Care Council Register being ‘fit to practise’ means adhering to the Standards of Conduct and Practice for Social Workers and Social Care Practitioners and Standards of Conduct for Social Work Students. These set out the required attitudes, behaviours and competence a Registrant requires to practise safely and effectively. All Registrants agree to adhere to the Standards as a condition of their on-going registration with the Social Care Council.

Impaired Fitness to Practise:

If a Registrant has been referred to the Social Care Council due to concerns about their standard of practise, we will consider if their fitness to practise is impaired due to:

– Misconduct
– Lack of competence
– Physical or mental health
– A conviction or caution in the UK for a criminal offence, or a conviction elsewhere for an offence which, if committed in the UK, would constitute a criminal offence
– A determination by a relevant regulatory body that the Registrant’s fitness to practise is impaired
– Inclusion on a list maintained by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Handling your Fitness to Practise Concern

How to raise a concern

Everyone – service users, carers, employers, fellow social care practitioners, other professions and general public – should act if they have serious concerns about a workers standard of conduct or practice that may affect public protection or confidence in the profession.

If you have a concern to raise with us, click the button below