Section 52(1)(a) of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 (“the Act”) provides that any person who, with intent to deceive, while not registered in any relevant register as a social worker, takes or uses the title of social worker, or purports in any other way to be a social worker shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale (currently £5,000).

Section 52(2) of the Act provides that for the purposes of section 52(1), a register is a “relevant register” if it is (a) the register maintained by the Scottish Social Services Council under Part 3 of the Act or (b) such register as may be prescribed, being a register maintained under a provision of the law of England and Wales or of Northern Ireland which appears to the Scottish Ministers to correspond to section 44(1) of the Act.

The Regulation of Care (Prescribed Registers) (Scotland) Order 2005 (“the 2005 Order”) prescribes the register maintained by the Care Council for Wales or Cyngor Gofal Cymru under section 56(1) of the Care Standards Act 2000 (c.14). Under section 67 of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 (anaw 2) (“the 2016 Act”), the Care Council for Wales, or Cyngor Gofal Cymru, is to be replaced by Social Care Wales. Section 80 of the 2016 Act requires Social Care Wales to maintain a register of certain social care workers. Accordingly, this Order amends the reference to the Care Council for Wales or Cyngor Gofal Cymru in the 2005 Order to Social Care Wales, to ensure that, from 3rd April 2017, the register maintained by Social Care Wales under section 80 of the 2016 Act is prescribed for the purpose of section 52(b) of the Act.