We regulate people working in social work, social care and children and young people services in Scotland and the Care Inspectorate regulates registered social care services. We recognise that workers recruited from overseas are a hugely valuable and important part of the social care workforce.

Members of the social work, social care and children and young people workforce face a number of challenges but remain committed to the people they support and want to make a difference in their lives.

We’re continuing our review of the qualification and modern apprenticeship frameworks and want to share an update on the progress so far.

We’ve published our 2025 Registrant Survey Snapshot Report. Our annual registrant survey plays a key role in informing our work and we use it to help improve our services.

It’s been a year since we launched the Social Care Career Options Tool (SCCOT) in April 2025. Developed in partnership with Public Services Delivery Scotland (formerly NHS Education for Scotland) it provides a single, comprehensive digital resource covering 77 roles and career pathways across social care.  

We’ve worked with Public Services Delivery Scotland (formerly NHS Education for Scotland) and Qualifications Scotland to develop a new Recognition of Prior Learning Matrix which allows workers, employers and assessors to evidence prior learning towards the SVQ Social Services and Healthcare at SCQF Levels 6 and 7.

We’ve pulled together key information on the Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers into a toolkit to help employers speak about the Codes with their staff and people using services.

When people with lived experience help shape our work, it helps us see things we might otherwise miss. Listening to the people who use services helps us improve what we do and keep our standards high. That’s why we make sure people with lived experience are at the heart of our continuous improvement work.

When endorsing applications, employers confirm if a worker is working as a manager, supervisor, practitioner or support worker based on the role they are carrying out. This determines the qualification requirements for registration.

If you or your staff are looking to gain a qualification as part of your SSSC registration, it's important to make sure you choose the right one.

We’ve created two short explainer videos to support your learning. The videos, designed for the social work, social care and children and young people workforce, as well as members of the public, explain who we are, what we do and what it means to be registered with us.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) published its Strategic Plan 2026-2029 today setting out priorities for the next three years. It supports our vision that a trusted, skilled, confident and valued workforce delivers social work, social care and children and young people services.