Updated Code of Practice for social care workers in Wales

A revised set of standards for social care workers in Wales has been agreed by the Board of the Care Council for Wales (CCW).

The standards will be launched following consultation with the Minister for Health and Social Services.

The new Code will replace the one that has been in force since 2002. It will set out the standards all practitioners should work to and what is expected of them by employers, individuals receiving services and the public.

The revised standards have been drawn up following a public consultation, which drew a large number of responses from organisations, teams and focus groups. Prior to that, they were tested with more than 300 practitioners across Wales.

The revised Code includes seven main standards practitioners have to meet, one more than the existing document. These cover maintaining the trust, independence and well-being of individuals, and practitioners being responsible for developing their own knowledge and skills. The additional standard details the responsibilities of managing or leading staff. Other changes have included more emphasis on choice, control and integrity, as well as key issues such as language need, well-being, raising concerns and professional judgement.

The Code will be particularly significant for those groups who have to register with the CCW, as it will be taken into account when there are doubts over a person’s fitness to practise as a result of allegations about their practice. All practitioners who register with the CCW have to formally agree to uphold the standards in the Code as a condition of registration. Currently, all social workers, social work students, social care managers and residential child care workers have to register with the Care Council.

Gerry Evans, Care Council Director of Regulation and Professional Standards, said: “The updated Code reflects the fact that care is a complex area and it is a statement on behalf of the practitioners of the standards they work to. It is a vital document not only for registered workers, but also across the whole of social care in Wales. As an important element of our regulatory work, it can play a powerful role in helping us reduce the likelihood in Wales of serious failings in care through the public knowing what standards should be expected and that, where there are failings, they are addressed”.

“We will also want to use the new Code to reinforce the importance of values, culture and professional behaviour, as part of transforming the sector and supporting the workforce to deliver the expectations in the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.

“There have been significant changes across the social care workforce in Wales over the past 12 years. These have included national and local changes in strategy, policy and practice. As a result, it is important to have a revised Code to reflect these changes and ensure it is still relevant and effective,” he added.

For more, visit: http://www.ccwales.org.uk