Social Care Council - Registration Fees Review Consultation - 2026

Overview

Thank you for your interest in this Northern Ireland Social Care Council consultation on proposals to review the registration fees paid by social workers, social care managers, social care practitioners and social work students in Northern Ireland.

This consultation is open to everyone. The Social Care Council particularly encourages responses from those already registered with the Council, those eligible to apply for registration, people who use services and their carers, employers, representative bodies such as Trade Unions and professional bodies, further and higher educational institutions providing social work education and training, and other respondents with an interest in social work and social care regulation in Northern Ireland.

This consultation seeks to create a fee structure that is: fair, proportionate and sustainable; reflective of the separate parts of the Register; and that fee levels are regularly reviewed.

Before you start this survey:

• Please read the Consultation Guides provided in the related information section on the bottom of this page (these contain details of the survey questions as well as background information about workforce registration, costs of regulation and comparable data for regulation in other professions). Further information is also provided in the Frequently Asked Questions booklet below.
• Please also read the Participant Information sheet provided below (this provides guidance on how we will manage your data).
• The survey is made up of 20 questions and should take 15-20 minutes to complete.
• Questions have been split into three sections. You can complete the survey in stages using the 'save and return' option at the end of each section.

This survey will close at midnight on 09 November 2026.