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From next year qualified social workers will be required to register with the General Social Care Council and the three other regulatory social care councils in the UK, signing up to the new codes of practice for workers and employers.

Over a 10-year period, all 1.2 million social care staff will be brought into the care councils. The code for workers sets out standards of professional conduct and practice, while the code for employers requires them to support staff in meeting these standards.

All four councils will use the same codes, which include rules on the rights of users and carers, protecting service users, upholding the public trust and confidence in social care and taking responsibility for maintaining and improving their own knowledge and skills.

Both codes protect the rights of workers to blow the whistle if they think the delivery of safe care is compromised. Staff will be required to comply with the codes as part of the National Care Standards Commission's inspection processes and enforcement of the national minimum standards. Bob Hudson, principal research fellow, Nuffield Institute for Health, University of Leeds

"This is an important and overdue measure, though the slow pace of implementation is disappointing. However, social work should not become preoccupied with matters of intra-professional status and standards. The debate is moving on from the pursuit of professional status towards the delivery of care and treatment on a multi-professional basis. It is vital that this shift is reflected in the standards across social work, nursing and medicine."

Felicity Collier, chief executive, Baaf Adoption and Fostering

"It is essential for social workers to have a framework of 'conduct' that properly explains to the public what they can expect when they come into contact with a social care professional. It is a pity that the code is mandatory for social workers and advisory for employers. Social workers need to be creative, challenging and innovative in addressing the complex needs of their clients and they need the support of their employers to do so. Too many social workers feel unsupported in their professional values and commitments by the organisations they work for. The code will only deliver when social workers feel respected by and valued for the particular qualities they bring to this most demanding of jobs."

Phil Frampton, national chairperson, Care Leavers Association

"The establishment of codes of practice are well and good, but where is the funding to deliver the practices? If the government pumped £10bn a year more into social care front-line services, service users might start to think that the government had sincere intentions."

Martin Green, chief executive, Counsel and Care for the Elderly

"I welcome the development of the codes of practice and think that they should form the first phase in what needs to be a series of measures to improve the status of social care workers. For too long social care workers have been denied the status of professionals, despite the fact that the work they do in supporting vulnerable people is one of the cornerstones of the care system. However, the codes need to be accompanied by the other measures of professional status, including proper remuneration and a career structure."

Karen Warwick, senior practitioner, Barnardo's

"At last, this is a significant move along the road to professionalisation. Social work should be a profession and there should be responsibilities on employers and employees in respect of a code of practice. From what I have seen of the code, any good social worker should be able to work to it without feeling that they are having to take on additional responsibilities in the workplace."