General Social Care Council
Encyclopedia
The General Social Care Council (GSCC) is a the regulator of social workers and social work students in England. The GSCC protects the public by requiring high standards of education, conduct and practice of social workers by ensuring that only those who are properly trained and committed to high standards practice social work.

The GSCC is an Arm's Length Body sponsored by the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...

. It has three sister organisations which have similar responsibilities in the other parts of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

; these are the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), the Care Council for Wales (in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

: Cyngor Gofal Cymru) (CCW or CGC), and the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.

The GSCC was set up in 2001 further to the Care Standards Act 2000
Care Standards Act 2000
Care Standards Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provides for the administration of a variety of care institutions, including children's homes, independent hospitals, nursing homes and residential care homes....

, which was enacted partly in response to criticisms in the late 1990s of social services in Britain, in particular the high-profile case of Victoria Climbié
Victoria Climbié
In 2000 in London, England, an eight-year-old Ivorian girl Victoria Adjo Climbié was tortured and murdered by her guardians...

, a young girl who was abused and eventually killed by her relatives in north London despite having been known to local social services. The GSCC inherited the mantle of the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
The Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work was, from 1970 to 2001, the statutory authority charged with promoting education and training in social work, recognising courses and awarding qualifications throughout the United Kingdom.The CCETSW was established on 1 October 1971...

 (CCETSW), a previous body which had responsibility solely for managing and funding Social Work education. The GSCC was given a broader remit to take a lead not only in education but in the strategic development and promotion of the whole social care sector in Britain.

A major responsibility of the GSCC and other councils is the maintenance of a professional register of social workers. From 1 April 2005 it became a criminal offence to use the title 'social worker' without proper qualifications and without being registered with the GSCC. Social workers are required to renew their registration every three years, and to undertake a certain amount of professional training and learning during each three-year registration period. In this way the GSCC hopes to raise the standards and reputation of the social work profession in England.

The Chair of the General Social Care Council is Rosie Varley, and its Chief Executive is Penny Thompson.

Anyone can check the register of social workers by visiting this page : "Check the register"

It was announced in July 2010, following the Department of Health’s arm’s length body review, that the GSCC’s functions would be transferred to the Health Professions Council (HPC) from April 2012, in order to reduce the number and cost of publicly funded organisations.
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