The Department of Health’s Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy, published on 23 April 2009, announced that the GSCC will extend registration to home care workers from early 2010. Initially registration will be on a voluntary basis and the expectation is that it will become compulsory thereafter. We welcome this long-anticipated venture and, although we had hoped the Register would also be opened up to residential care staff, we are glad that progress is being made to further safeguard people who use services.
GSCC research commissioned earlier this year revealed that the general public already thinks that home care workers are regulated. Home care workers themselves actively welcome the prospect of registration as they believe it will give good care workers the support and recognition they deserve while protecting vulnerable clients from bad workers. They also see it as a long-overdue recognition of an important occupation.
Social workers often work as part of cross-professional teams, and recognise that a combination of different skills and contributions is needed to deliver vital care packages for vulnerable people. The contribution of home care workers can make a real impact on service users’ quality of life. Extending GSCC regulation to home care workers will recognise this contribution, improve training and raise the status of workers in the sector, and help to improve the quality of care provided.
I've been working at least 15years as a support worker in London and nearly finished my NVQ 11. I've always wanted to 'belong' to a group of recognized support workers once i get my recognized qualification. just wondering if there's any association, body or some sort of union i can join as a member of a 'recognized body'? please advice . I want to BELONG
Ismini Paspli
01 Mar 2010
Week-to-week, service users will often see far more of their home care worker or residential care staff than they do of their care manager. Home and residential care staff often have intimate, intensive and regular contact with service users. I therefore find it difficult to understand why they have not been required to register with the GSCC long ago and thereby made subject to a system of regulation and accountability outside of their employer, aimed at ensuring high standards and protecting the public from poor care. Again this seems odd given the high profile afforded, quite rightly, to the safeguarding agenda at the moment.
Richard
16 Jul 2009
Having worked as a home carer myself in the past, I for one, believe that registering homecarers will indeed, encourage good standards of care expected by individuals and their families. I also believe it would increase good practice by organisations employing staff and ensure good practice amongst the staff themselves. Things have come a long way, over the last 20 years but, may still have a way to go, to ensure the safety and excellent delivery of services to vulnerable people, in their own home.
Margaret Logan
01 Jul 2009
Family Support workers would gain from the same process of being registered as well. They are frontline staff and also work with some of the most vulnerable in today's society.
Michael Wishon
19 Jun 2009
This is long overdue both to safeguard vulnerable adults and give more professional recognition to carers without whom the whole system would collapse. They are working unsocial hours, long or split shifts, are poorly paid and often carrying out very difficult tasks without immediate supervision. The current hourly pay system is totally out of date and neither serves the care worker or the service-user . This too needs urgently reviewing before the service collapses.
Helen Boyd
17 Jun 2009
