Further guidance on the registration process for healthcare assistants and support workers working in Wales who are required to register with Social Care Wales (SCW) and how Newcross will support and manage this process.
Who are SCW and what do they do?
Social Care Wales (SCW) sets standards for the social care workforce in Wales, making them accountable for their work, and developing the workforce so they have the knowledge and skills to protect, empower and support those who need help.
This includes:
•Providing a suite of level 2 and 3 qualifications for health and social care staff
•Mandatory registration of the social care workforce working in Wales
Who needs to register and by when?
Social Care Workers
Social workers and social care workers need to register with SCW. Social workers liaise with various agencies to make sure that appropriate care plans are put in place for people who need them, whilst social care workers are responsible for delivering the day-to-day care outlined in a care plan.
Newcross staff are social care workers and include the following categories of SCW registration:
Adult care home workers (applies to HealthForce staff working in residential and nursing homes)
Domiciliary care workers (HealthForce staff working in supported living clients and all Community Care staff)
Residential childcare workers (applies to HealthForce staff working in residential childcare clients)
Residential family centre workers (applies to HealthForce staff working in residential family centre clients)
Staff are able to register under more than one of these areas if they do more than one type of job. Staff should speak with their branch team if they are unsure which area of registration they should apply for.
Nurses who are only working as nurses in Wales do not need to register with SCW. However, if a nurse is working as a HCA then they will need to register.
Staff who started working as a social care worker before the 30th September 2022 have 12 months from the date of their first shift to register
Staff who started working as a social care worker from 1st October 2022 to 31st March 2023 need to register by 1st October 2023
Staff who start working as a social care worker on or after 1st April 2023 have 6 months from the date of their first shift to register
The application and annual registration fee for all care staff is £30 annually.
Social Care Managers
•Residential child care managers
•Adult care home managers
•Domiciliary care managers
All social care managers must register once they have completed their qualification or start in their post.
How staff register
There are two routes to register as a social care worker with SCW:
1.Register with a qualification
2.Register by employer assessment
Find out if your qualification is accepted using the SCW qualification finder.
To register for the first time, staff need to create a SCW Online account.
Information needed to apply:
•Personal email address
•National insurance number
•Employment details (including address, job title and start date or future start date if it’s a new job)
•Five year employment history
•Bank details to setup a Direct Debit to pay the registration fee
•Qualification certificates (if qualification is accepted)
•Date of their most recent criminal records (DBS) check
•Confirmation that they intend to practise in Wales
•Verified copies of their ID documents, unless they have had DBS check within the last three years or are on the DBS update service. Endorsed copies of the original documents will need to be uploaded as part of the application.
SCW have produced a number of guidance videos to support applicants through the process.
Staff must inform SCW if they have a disciplinary record, are currently the subject of an investigation or have a criminal record.
Applications to register must be endorsed to confirm good character and that there are no reason why they shouldn’t be on the register. When staff apply, they are required to select an endorser from an approved list for Newcross.
The selected endorser will be contacted by SCW to endorse the application. All of the application is visible to the endorser except health and equality and diversity answers. Only one initial endorser from Newcross is required.
Staff who do not have a recognized qualification are able to complete an employer assessment in order to register. Staff should select a single competency endorser from their primary employer on their application, this does not need to be a Newcross manager if Newcross is not the primary employer.
Maintaining registration
The £30 annual fee must be paid before the expiry date to maintain registration.
45 hours post registration training and learning (PRTL) must be completed every 3 years in order to renew registration.
Registration – what does it mean for Newcross?
What responsibilities do Newcross managers have?
As part of the application process, managers who are endorsers will be asked to:
Confirm a staff member's competence to register (if a staff member is registering without a qualification)
Endorse applications
Verify the identity of the applicant when applying if required
Signatories
Signatories endorse initial and renewal applications and help maintain an up-to-date register. Managers of services providing staff in Wales act as signatories for their employees to be able to gain or maintain registration.
Responsibilities of signatories include:
Verifying identity documents
Endorsing applications
Exchanging information with SCW
Informing SCW of any issues about fitness to practice
Confirming applicants or registered persons post registration training and learning (PRTL)
Informing SCW when staff leave Newcross employment
Registration checks
The registration of all staff who are required to be registered with SCW is checked on recruitment and on an annual basis through the search the register function.
The result will indicate if the staff member is registered or not and if they have been removed from the register.
Fitness to practice referrals
Signatories have a duty to report concerns about a registrant’s fitness to practice.
This can be done online.