Part IV Social care workers

Preliminary

I155 Interpretation.

1

This section has effect for the purposes of this Part.

2

Social care worker” means a person (other than a person excepted by regulations) who—

a

engages in relevant social work (referred to in this Part as a “social worker”);

b

is employed at a children’s home, care home or residential family centre or for the purposes of a domiciliary care agency, a fostering agency F1, a voluntary adoption agency or an adoption support agency;

c

manages F2a home, centre or agency of a kind mentioned in paragraph (b); or

d

is supplied by a domiciliary care agency to provide personal care in their own homes for persons who by reason of illness, infirmity or disability are unable to provide it for themselves without assistance.

3

Regulations may provide that persons of any of the following descriptions shall be treated as social care workers—

a

a person engaged in work for the purposes of a local authority’s social services functions, or in the provision of services similar to services which may or must be provided by local authorities in the exercise of those functions;

b

a person engaged in the provision of personal care for any person;

c

a person who manages, or is employed in, an undertaking (other than an establishment or agency) which consists of or includes supplying, or providing services for the purpose of supplying, persons to provide personal care;

d

a person employed in connection with the discharge of functions of the appropriate Minister under section 80 of the 1989 Act (inspection of children’s homes etc.);

e

staff of F3. . . F4, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills or the F5Welsh Assembly Government who—

i

inspect premises under section 87 of the 1989 Act (welfare of children accommodated in independent schools and colleges) or F6section 31 of this Act F7, section 88 or 98 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003F8or section 139 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006; or

ii

are responsible for persons who do so;

and staff of the F5Welsh Assembly Government who inspect premises under F9section 40 of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 or are responsible for persons who do so;

F10ea

staff of the Care Quality Commission who inspect premises under Part 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 used for or in connection with the provision of social care (within the meaning of that Part) or who are responsible for persons who do so;

f

a person employed in a day centre;

g

a person participating in a course approved by F13the Welsh Council under section 63F14, or by the Health and Care Professions Council under article 15 of the Health and Social Work Professions Order 2001, for persons wishing to become social workers.

4

Relevant social work” means social work which is required in connection with any health, education or social services provided by any person.

5

Day centre” means a place where nursing or personal care (but not accommodation) is provided wholly or mainly for persons mentioned in section 3(2).

F116

The General Systems Regulations” means the European Communities (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/2781).

7

Relevant European State” means an EEA State or Switzerland.

8

Exempt person” means—

a

a national of a relevant European State other than the United Kingdom,

b

a national of the United Kingdom who is seeking to engage in relevant social work by virtue of an enforceable F12EU right, or

c

a person who is not a national of a relevant European State but who is, by virtue of an enforceable F12EU right, entitled to be treated, as regards the right to engage in relevant social work, no less favourably than a national of a relevant European State;

and in this subsection, “national”, in relation to a relevant European State, means the same as in F12EU Treaties, but does not include a person who by virtue of Article 2 of Protocol No. 3 (Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) to the Treaty of Accession is not to benefit from F12EU provisions relating to the free movement of persons and services.