Here are some useful links to help your journey in Social Care. 

These are not definitive or representative of the Partnership or Skills for Care. 

There is no obligation to use them or consider them. They are here as potential sources amongst many.

Adobe Reader if you are having problems, this is the link to get the latest update

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Care Quality Commission Legislation link

www.cqc.org.uk/guidanceforprofessionals/socialcare/careproviders/legislation.cfm#2

Department of Health update on Professional Regulation

Health and Social Care Bill

Research In Practice for Adults (RiPfA)

research in practice for adults a research organisation for adult social care - it offers a wide range of research and information in all sectors of Adult Care. Their mission statement is to ‘use evidence from research and other sources to improve outcomes for service users and carers’

They produce a monthly information sheet raising latest research and information. Totally packed with useful info, worth a visit to the site the latest info for each month is here:

 http://www.ripfa.org.uk/policyupdates/current.asp?catID=4&subcat=1

Social Care Online

UK's most extensive free database of social care information - topic areas covered:

• · Benefits and personal finance
• · Criminal justice, law and rights
• · Education, training and employment
• · Government and social policy
• · Health and health care
• · Housing and environment
• · Living and life events
• · Management and organisational development
• · Mental health and mental health care
• · People, groups and communities
• · Physical and learning disabilities
• · Research and evaluation
• · Social care services
• · Social work and social workers

Learning Disability History

a group of people at the Open University who are researching the history of learning disability in several different ways

Pavilion Publishing

Their objective is to share best practice through the dissemination of high-quality training materials, exhibitions, conferences, journals and the Mental Health Today magazine

Pavilion’s Conferences are widely supported  and worth looking at - there are some really interesting topics coming up.

Useful Site Links

General Social Care Council The regulatory body for the social care workforce in England www.gscc.org.uk GSCC - social work careers support and bursaries www.gscc.org.uk www.socialworkcareers.co.uk National Vocational Qualifications The Department for Education and Skills site gives the background to NVQs and how they can help you in employment and career development. www.dfes.gov.uk/nvq Department of Health (DoH or DH) The Government department with responsibility for matters relating to social work and social care www.dh.gov.uk Care Quality Commission The independent inspectorate for health and social care services in England. www.cqc.org.uk Social Care Information and Learning Services (Scils) Knowledge and training supporting workforce development in social care Wiltshire employer registration number is : 248WISH www.scils.org.uk Social Care Association Aims to promote good professional practice in all aspects of social care www.socialcareassoc.com NIACE, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (England and Wales) Promoting adult learning http://www.niace.org.uk/ Social Care Online daily updates on free information and research on all aspects of social care http://www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/default.asp Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) Government body set up to improve Social Care Services in Adult and Childrens Social Care throughout the UK http://www.scie.org.uk/