The regulator has revealed that almost 80% of social workers in England have yet to renew their registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)"We encourage all our registrants to renew before the deadline to prevent the lengthy re-admittance process which follows lapsing off the register," said Marc Seale, chief executive of the HCPC.
"The consequences of social workers lapsing off the register are detrimental and considerable to the registrant, employer and service user and ultimately result in a risk to public safety."
The closing date for renewals is 6pm on 30 November.
How do I register with the HCPC?
If you havent been contacted by HCPC by now then there may of been an issue transfering information to the HCPC so you should contact them URGENTLY.
Otherwise by now you should of had your unique access code to register online.
You will now be able to logon to your registration page on the HCPC and you will need to have completed your registration by 6pm on 30th November 2012.
What happens if I don’t register by the close date?
If you do not complete your registration by the 30th November 2012, you will automatically be removed from the register and will be unable to use the title of Social Worker until you have re-registered.
If your registration lapses, you will need to complete re-admission forms and provide a health declaration, a character reference and proof of identity. If you do this within a month of lapsing there will be no charge, however, if the period is longer than a month the fee will be £115.
FAQS
How much does registration cost?
Registration with the HCPC is £76 per year or £152 for 2 years. If you register for 2 years, you will be given the option to pay £38 every 6 months rather than a one off payment. Registration with the HCPC will be 2 years rather than 3 years.
I am a student, do I still need to register?
The HCPC will not register students, therefore you will not be required to register. Once you are qualified, registration with the HCPC should only take approximately 1 week to be complete.
The GSCC currently provide a minimum training requirement, will this be the same with the HCPC?
The HCPC will not state a set amount of training that needs to be undertaken, instead the relevance of the training will be considered. They will measure the outcome of the training. You will have a log on your registration page online which will need to be updated during the 2 year registration period.
Each year the HCPC will audit a percentage of the register and if requested you will need to provide:
• A list of training over the 2 year period.
• A summary of recent work completed.
• A Statement of how standards have been met and how the training has helped you to meet these standards, how you are benefitting from the training and how service users are benefitting from this.
• Evidence of the training, notes from courses, supervision and team meetings, certificates.
Complaints
If a complaint is made to the HCPC they will look at the effect on practice. The sanctions that can be imposed following investigations are:
• A caution order which can go on your record for up to 5 years.
• A condition of practice order. This means that you will be able to continue to practice but you will receive close supervision and relevant training to ensure that there is an improvement in practice.
• A suspension order. Before you will be able to re-apply to register you will have to complete relevant training and be able to show how you will change your practice in the future.
• Striking off order – full removal from the register.
A temporary suspension may also be imposed during the investigation which will mean that you will be unable to work as a Social Worker until the investigation is complete.
When investigating complaints the HCPC will look at your fitness to work and how the allegation affects your practice.
Please contact us at info@rigsocialcare.co.uk, call 0845 363 1085 or visit our website www.rigsocialcare.co.uk for any further information.
