Social Care Practitioner Wales Model

The employment of practitioners in addition to social workers is a feature of social services in Wales. The proposed career pathway sets out the role and functions of social workers at key points in their career. This work has highlighted the need to identify the role and function of the practitioner who is not a qualified social worker.

There is, however, no nationally agreed title, role or list of qualifications for these practitioners and they fall outside the workforce regulatory framework.

The Care Council is working with partners to identify a title, role and function for this group of workers. This would provide a clear distinction between the role of the social worker and that of the practitioner in social services. This will also be critical to determining the education and training needs of this group, developing a code of practice and a process for regulation.