Day Care Of Children’s Services Practitioners To Register With SSSC

The part of the Register for practitioners in day care of children services opened in March and workers can now start registering with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). The part of the register for managers and lead practitioners in day care of children services opened in October 2006.

Support workers in day care of children services will be invited to register from 2008. Day care of children services includes services such as nurseries, crèches and after school clubs. With over 27,000 day care of children service workers in Scotland, registration will increase awareness and public confidence in the social service workforce and the part the sector plays in the community.

Registration helps ensure that workers have the necessary competence, good character and conduct requirements set for registration and have undertaken to meet the SSSC’s Code of Practice for Social Service Workers. Registration will increase the protection of people who use social services, helping employers to ensure that only suitable people are employed and retained in the social service workforce.

Workers who apply to register with the SSSC must undergo an enhanced Disclosure Scotland check and will need to have or gain a relevant qualification. Workers who do not hold a relevant qualification can still be registered.

The SSSC can register a worker who meets the rest of the registration criteria, eg evidence of ‘good character’, subject to the condition that they gain their qualification within a specified period of time. This will normally be the first three years of their initial registration period.

Jeanann Thompson, Childcare Manager at The Glasgow Academy who recently registered with the SSSC said: “When I received my SSSC Registration certificate I felt a sense of pride because now there is a professional body giving recognition for my qualification achievements. 

“Although my senior management team are extremely supportive and acknowledge my achievements internally, it is satisfying to be identified as part of the child care workforce externally with the SSSC. The practitioner part of the Register opened in March 2007 which I feel is a fantastic move and I will be supporting and encouraging my colleagues to register with the SSSC.”