About us

The GSCC was established in October 2001 under the Care Standards Act 2000 and is the first regulator of the social care workforce in England. The GSCC is a Non Departmental Public Body and works independently from the Department of Health, its sponsoring department. The GSCC also works closely with the Department for Children, Schools and Families in delivering the children's and young people's care agenda.

The GSCC's mission is to promote the highest standards of social care in England for the benefit and protection of people who use services and the wider public by:

• acting as guardian of standards in social care practice by requiring the highest standards of conduct from social care workers and compliance with a code of practice;
• promoting and develop a high quality workforce by ensuring the highest standards of initial and ongoing training for social care workers; and
• upholding the value of a committed workforce and the contribution it makes to society.

The GSCC regulates the conduct of social care workers by:

• maintaining the Social Care Register
• promoting and enforcing codes of practice for social care workers and their employers; and
• regulating and supporting social work education and training including the new social work degree.

How we are organised:

The strategic direction of the GSCC is determined by the Council, which currently has nine members. A majority of the council must be lay members who have experience across the spectrum of social care, as service users, carers, or service providers from the public, private or voluntary sectors. By law, the Chair of the Council must be lay. For details of who sits on the council, see the People pages.

The day to day running of the GSCC is overseen by the Chair of the Council, Rosie Varley OBE, and the Chief Executive. They are supported by the Executive Management Team who lead the teams to ensure the GSCC can carry out its statutory duties effectively.

Since 2008 the GSCC has moved many of its administrative functions to Myson House in Rugby, such as registration, as well as support roles including human resources and finance.

Social care legislation affecting the General Social Care Council:

Care Standards Act 2000

The Act established the GSCC and its sister organisations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Criminal Justice and Courts Services Act 2000

The Act established CAFCASS, the advisory service for family courts.

Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003

The Act established the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) as a regulator of social care services for adults.

Education and Inspections Act 2006

The Act established Ofsted, regulator for schools and social care services for children.

Health and Social Care Act 2008

The Act established the Care Quality Commission, joint health and social care regulator, which merged CSCI with the Healthcare Commission and the Mental Health Act Commission.