Unison: Social Care Organisations To Pay Workers’ GSCC Fees

Public service union Unison is to mount a campaign calling on employers in the social care sector pay their workers’ fees to register with the General Social Care Council (GSCC). The move came after it emerged that half of the employers that responded to a consultation on the issue said they would not pay registration fees on behalf of their staff.

While Unison welcomed the GSCC’s decision to recommend a £15 annual registration fee, it said employers would need to pay the fees if they wanted to recruit and retain staff.

The union also said the regulator’s proposal that staff without qualifications should only have to start working towards one within the first three years after registration was a “missed opportunity” to drive up standards in the sector.

Workers will only be required to complete a qualification after six years, but Unison said many could leave the sector during this period, given current staff turnover levels.