Board Committees and Partnerships

We work in partnership with people who have real life experience of all aspects of social work and social care – people who use services, our registrants, carers, employers, education providers, trade unions and representative bodies. This ensures that all our stakeholders are given a voice in setting standards and improving social care in Northern Ireland.

Our business is planned and reviewed through six sub-committees authorised by the Board to take forward work in key areas:

• Participation Partnership for Service Users and Carers.
• Leaders in Social Care Partnership.
• Professional in Practice Partnership (PiP).
• Strategic Research and Evidence Partnership.
• Audit and Risk Committee.
• Remuneration Committee.

The Social Care Council has had a long history of working collaboratively in the design and delivery of its business across the social work and social care sector. Many of the objectives and outcomes described in this Business Plan require the involvement and collaboration of its Partnerships. Each of these Partnerships actively challenge, influence and advise the work of the Social Care Council.

Committee and Partnership meetings are not open to the public. Notes of the business discussed at these meetings are available to the public. The agenda for upcoming Committee and Partnership meetings and approved minutes from meetings for the previous 12 months are published here on the website.

• Agendas are published one week before the meeting is due to take place.
• Minutes from meetings are published one week after they are approved by the Committee/Partnership. Contact our Business Support Team if you have any queries, or require copies of earlier minutes/agendas. Email: businesssupport@niscc.hscni.net.

Participation Partnership

The Social Care Council Participation Partnership consists of people who use services and carers from a range of backgrounds and experiences. They meet every two – three months and play a key role in our business. The responsibilities of the Partnership are to influence and advise the Social Care Council and to develop principles and standards to encourage best practice in participation working. Further information about the work of the Participation Partnership and copies of minutes and agendas for meetings are available from here.

Upcoming meetings

Leaders in Social Care Partnership

The Leaders in Social Care Partnership is a strategic partnership of senior managers from the statutory, voluntary and private social care sectors. The purpose of the Partnership is to work with the Social Care Council to establish a strategic framework for the transformation and development of the social care workforce in Northern Ireland that will ensure the sustainability of a skilled, competent and fit for purpose workforce. The Terms of Reference for this Committee provide details on the purpose, remit and membership.

Upcoming meetings

Professional in Practice Partnership (PiP)

The Professional in Practice Partnership (PiP) Partnership is comprised of representatives of education institutions and other provider bodies providing post qualifying social work education, representatives of social work employers in all relevant sectors and the commissioner for social work training from the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), and other relevant constituencies. The purpose of the PiP Partnership is to support the Council in discharging its responsibilities in relation to post-qualifying education and training for social workers in Northern Ireland. The Terms of Reference for this Committee provide details on the purpose, remit and membership.

Upcoming meetings

Strategic Research and Evidence Partnership

The Research and Evidence Partnership members are representatives from government departments and other relevant research constituencies, senior representatives from higher education institutions, health and social care, justice, education and voluntary and private sectors; service users and carers and the professional body for social workers and social care workers in Northern Ireland. The purpose of this Partnership is to create new links with the wider research infrastructure both locally and nationally, seek out research funding streams, identify the types of research and evidence that will inform policy and practice, explore gaps in our evidence and support the identification of strategic research and evidence priorities for social work and social care. The Terms of Reference (link coming soon) for this Committee provide details on the purpose, remit and membership.

Upcoming meetings

Audit & Risk Assurance Committee

The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Board and the Chief Executive, on issues relating to corporate governance, internal audit and quality control, risk management and financial audit. The Director of Registration and Corporate Services and appropriate Internal and External Audit representatives normally attend meetings and at least once a year the Committee meets with the External and Internal Auditors. The Terms of Reference (link coming soon) for this Committee provide details on the purpose, remit and membership.

Upcoming meetings

Remuneration Committee

The main function of the Committee is to make recommendations to the Board on performance, development, succession planning and appropriate remuneration and terms of service for the Chief Executive as guided by DoH policy and best practice and to ensure robust objectives, performance measures and evaluation processes are in place within the Social Care Council in respect of the Chief Executive. The Terms of Reference for this Committee provide details on the purpose, remit and membership.

Upcoming meetings