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Many would be daunted by the size of the task ahead. But although Rodney Brooke, chairperson of the council of the General Social Care Council, admits his role is a tremendous challenge, he is excited rather than daunted.

The 17-strong GSCC council is one of the first government bodies that is required by law to have a majority of lay members and a lay chairperson (a stipulation that will extend to the council's conduct panels and registration panels). Lay and non-lay members have the same power. As Brooke says: "One person, one vote. Everyone has their say and we proceed by consensus."

The council's remit is impressive: it is tasked with holding to account the GSCC's executive and setting its strategy. For example, now the ball is rolling for registering qualified social workers, the council is to look at how the GSCC will begin the task of registering the rest of the 1.2 million social care workforce and fix the fee it will charge.

With a business plan - and some clear targets - it is relatively straightforward for Brooke and his colleagues to check that the executive is working to plan, timescale and budget. The council is committed to transparency. Its 10 annual meetings are open to the public and there is a public "question time" session attended by ministers. Indeed, at the last meeting, community care minister Stephen Ladyman announced he wanted the registration process to speed up.

He is not alone. Brooke, like many, is concerned that the GSCC will be deluged by last-minute applications in March 2005. Although it may be too late to speed things up for social workers, there are ways in which the process could be improved for the rest of the workforce. The government could introduce a similar legal compulsion for this group to register, for example.

Brooke also suggests, controversially, the process could be streamlined by removing the requirement to declare health conditions that would disqualify an applicant from working in this sector. He suggests the council cannot think of any.

Brooke genuinely believes the hype. He insists the GSCC can protect the public and the workforce simultaneously. He also wants it to improve the perception of, and morale in, the social care sector. But he is realistic about the time frame involved. "In 10 years we will have had a huge impact on the sector," he says.

Who's who in the council

Council lay members

• Chairperson Rodney Brooke was appointed in March 2002. He is a solicitor and senior visiting fellow at the School of Public Policy at the University of Birmingham.
• Tanzeem Ahmed is the director of Olmec, which provides capacity building for organisations and communities.
• Christine Barton has been a teacher and lecturer. She has received social care and is a carer herself.
• Malcolm Clarke is an organisational development and quality consultant and researcher working mainly in the public and voluntary sectors.
• Susanna Hancock is head of equal opportunities at Middlesex University and chairperson of the Disability Alliance.
• Melanie Henwood is a self-employed independent health and social care consultant and a specialist adviser to the House of Commons health select committee.
• Ann James is an international policy adviser and consultant specialising in the health, social care, criminal justice and voluntary sectors. She is a qualified social worker.
• Harry Marsh is a consultant to major charitable trusts and voluntary organisations.
• Judy Weleminsky is a freelance management consultant working in the voluntary and public sectors. Most recently as a board member of the Children and Families Courts Advisory Support Service she blew the whistle on the controversial organisation.

Non-lay members

• Helen Baker trained as a social worker and is chairperson of Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust.
• Terry Bamford is chairperson of Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust.
• Lynda Deacon has had a career as a social worker and benefits from social care herself.
• Malcolm Jordan is a former deputy director of social services in Lancashire.
• Arthur Keefe is chairperson of Topss England.
• Bill McClimont is director of corporate affairs for Nestor Healthcare Group, an independent health and social care provider.
• Beverley Prevatt Goldstein is director of Beacon (Black and Ethnic Minority Community Organisations Network).
• June Thoburn is professor of social work at the University of East Anglia.