The Registration of Social Care Workers (Relevant Registers) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2005 No. 227

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES

The Registration of Social Care Workers (Relevant Registers) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Made

26th April 2005

Coming into operation

1st June 2005

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety(1) in exercise of the powers conferred upon it by sections 8(6)(b) and 57(3) of the Health and Personal Social Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2001(2) and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Registration of Social Care Workers (Relevant Registers) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005, and shall come into operation on 1st June 2005.

(2) In these Regulations “the Act” means the Health and Personal Social Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2001.

Prescription of relevant registers

2.  For the purposes of section 8 of the Act (Registration – enforcement), a relevant register is –

(a)the register maintained by the General Social Care Council under section 56 of the Care Standards Act 2000(3);

(b)the register maintained by the Care Council for Wales or Cyngor Gofal Cymru under section 56 of the Care Standards Act 2000(4); and

(c)the register maintained by the Scottish Social Services Council, under section 44 of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001(5).

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 26th April 2005.

L.S.

Paul Martin

Senior Officer of the

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which are made under sections 8(6)(b) and 57(3) of the Health and Personal Social Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 (“the 2001 Act”) prescribe as relevant registers the registers maintained under provisions of the Care Standards Act 2000 and the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 which appear to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to correspond to provisions of the 2001 Act.

The purpose of prescribing these registers is to ensure that an individual registered as a social worker in any of them will not be guilty of an offence under section 8(1) of the Act if he takes or uses the title “social worker” or takes or uses any title or description implying that he is so registered, or in any way holds himself out as so registered.

Commencing section 8(3) of the Act enables the Department to make regulations to prohibit persons from working in certain categories of employment unless they are registered in, or in a particular part of, a relevant register.

(1)

See S.I. 1999/283 (N.I. 1) Article 3(6)

(3)

The General Social Care Council was established by section 54 of the Care Standards Act 2000 c. 14

(4)

The Care Council for Wales or Cyngor Gofal Cymru was established by section 54 of the Care Standards Act 2000 c. 14

(5)

The Scottish Social Services Council was established by section 43 of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 asp 8