How can this page help me?
On this page you’ll find information about the legal framework for the SSSC and the types of legislation that set out what we do and how we do it. You will also find links to more detailed information about the key requirements for registration.
The SSSC was set up by an Act of Parliament which is the overall framework legislation. This is supported by Statutory Instruments (a type of secondary legislation) that set out the details behind the policy and law.
We then have a third step which are sets of Rules with the practical detail to help us carry out our functions.
The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 (RoCA)
This is the original legislation that set up the SSSC as an organisation and outlines the things that we must do. You can read the RoCA here.
Statutory Instruments (SIs)
Here are the SIs that relate to the SSSC.
The purpose is to amend the Registration of Social Workers and Social Service Workers in Care Services (Scotland) Regulations 2013 (“the 2013 Regulations”) to reduce the period of time for workers to apply for registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (“SSSC”), with the requirement now being within 3 months of starting a new role.
The purpose of this instrument is to allow employers and members of the public to see more information about persons registered on the register kept by the Scottish Social Services Council (“SSSC”) under section 44 of the 2001 Act.
The Regulation of Care (Social Service Workers) (Scotland) Order 2024.
The purpose is to reduce the number of register parts from 23 to 4 by creating only 2 categories of ‘social service worker’ rather than 21.
Rules
We have two sets of Rules, the Registration Rules 2024 and the Fitness to Practise Rules 2021.
Our Rules are updated from time to time to reflect changes to the SIs and policy changes set and agreed by the SSSC’s Council and you can find earlier versions of the Rules here.
Fitness to Practise Rules 2021
The Fitness to Practise Rules set out the requirements and processes for fitness to practise.
This is the current version and you can download it here.
Registration Rules 2024
The Registration Rules set out the requirements and processes for registration, for example, the qualifications required, timescales for applying to register.
This is the current version and you can download it here.
These Rules allow us to set a range of requirements for registration.
These include the following.
- The qualifications that people need to be registered with the SSSC.
- The courses and specialist qualifications we have approved and accept for the different parts of the Register.
- Timescales for achieving qualifications for those joining the Register who don’t already have their qualification.
- The requirements for continuous professional learning (CPL) including setting any mandatory training for all registrants or for those in specific roles.
- Return to practice (RtP) requirements for social workers who have not been registered for two years or more.