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People starting a new role in social services need to apply for SSSC registration within three months of starting employment. This new deadline came into effect from 3 June 2024.
It’s up to you as an employer to make sure your staff apply in time.
Find out more on the How do I register? page.
Employers have a legal responsibility to make sure all staff apply for registration within three months of starting their role and are registered within six months.
If staff are not registered after six months, they may not be able to work. If you have any queries about what role an employee can do if they are not registered after six months, please contact your Care Inspector. Find out more in our guidance SSSC Registration - the six-month rule and exceptional circumstances.
As part of their induction make sure your staff have the information they need to complete their registration application. We have produced some guides to help you.
You can find information on applying on the How do I register page.
When someone registers, they are required to maintain their registration in several ways. There’s more information on the Manage my registration page.
Under the Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers we expect employers to help registered workers gain any qualification they need for their role.
It is also important that you discuss and plan with your staff how they continue to meet their continuous professional learning (CPL).
Discussing registration at supervision can help staff understand how to maintain their registration and make this more meaningful to their role.
You can manage your staff’s registration on MySSSC if you are a lead countersignatory, additional countersignatory or have employer access.
It’s important to have the right people in these roles as they are the main contact between the SSSC and your organisation for all matters relating to staff registration. You should read the Countersignatory guidance before applying.
You can apply for a countersignatory role in your MySSSC account by choosing the ‘Are you an employer?’ tile.
We’ll email you to let you know if your countersignatory request is successful. Once you have access to the employer's area in MySSSC our help centre may be useful.
Employers have a duty to let the SSSC know if they dismiss a social service worker on the grounds of misconduct or if a social service worker has resigned or left their job in circumstances that would otherwise would have led to their dismissal.
Read our guidance for employers making a fitness to practise referral here.
We have produced a step-by-step video to guide you through endorsing a registration application and how to see recent employment changes for your staff in your MySSSC account.
Watch the videoRegistration is compulsory for many social service roles so visit our ‘Help with Register parts, fees and qualifications tool' for more information.
Access the tool hereCheck the registration status of a social worker or social care worker employed in Scotland
Search the Register
Continuous professional learning (CPL) is the learning we do for work which helps us develop our knowledge, skills and professional behaviour so we can deliver our best practice.
The Codes of Practice set out the standards of practice and behaviour expected of social service workers and their employers.
Visit our registration and MySSSC help centre to find the answers to common questions, including qualifications for registration, MySSSC accounts and employer access.
