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As of 1st April 2005 all social workers must be registered with the GSCC (General Social Care Council). 

As of 1st April 2009, all enquiries need to be directed to the Care Quality Commission

If you are operating a Nursing or Domiciliary Care agency in England you will need to register with the Care Quality Commission

Nursing & Domiciliary Care agencies are also regulated under the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003

Agencies supplying care workers to registered homes are not required to register with CSCI, although you should always check with CSCI.

If your Agency provides only practical support to people (not personal care) you do not have to register with CSCI as a Domiciliary care agency. The definition of personal care, which will trigger the requirement to register in respect of domiciliary care, is physical assistance with bodily functions. This would be “touching” a service user in order to assist them to undertake bodily functions such as washing, dressing, using the lavatory or taking a meal. However you are advised to check with CSCI as to whether you should register with them

All candidates must be CRB checked.

The training organisation for the Personnel Social Services, Skills for Care, provides information about training, education and workforce development strategy for social care in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the SEARCH document.

The Department of Health have a Code of Practice for International Recruitment.

REC has created specialist Terms of Business and Terms of Engagement for members operating in this field. You can access the term on the legal page.