1. These Regulations may be cited as the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (Social Care Workers Prohibition) and Fitness of Workers Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013 and shall come into operation on 21st October 2013.
2. In these Regulations references to employing a person include employing a person for payment, whether under a contract of service, a contract for services or otherwise than under a contract but do not include allowing a person to act as a volunteer; and references to a person being employed shall be construed accordingly.
3. In these Regulations—
“the Act” means the Health and Personal Social Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2001;
“the Order” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003;
“provider” means the person who for the time being is registered under Part III of the Order as a person who carries on a children’s home, a residential care home, a nursing home, a day care setting or a domiciliary care agency;
“the register” means the register of social care workers maintained by the Northern Ireland Social Care Council under section 3(1) of the Act;
“relevant part” means that part of the register referred to in section 3(2) of the Act which is most relevant to that person, taking into account their current employment;
“social care worker” means a person, other than a person excepted by regulation 2 of the 2006 regulations, who is specified in section 2(2)(b) to (d) of the Act and includes a person described in section 2(3)(c) of the Act who is treated as a social care worker by virtue of regulation 3 of the 2006 regulations;
“the 2006 Regulations” means the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (Social Care Workers) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006(1).