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Spot checks will be carried out to make sure registered social workers are keeping up with learning and development, the chief executive of the General Social Care Council told delegates at Community Care  Live today, writes Josephine Hocking.

To keep up quality control and make sure learning is recorded, the GSCC will ask selected social workers – not everyone - for evidence, she said.

However, Berry stressed that the learning needed to stay registered with the council was “not demanding” but was “about a change in culture”.

She said 57,000 social workers are now on the register although 67,000 have applied and applications are still being processed. Many applied late after the closing date of 1 April.

All social workers in England need to keep their skills up to date with post-registration training and learning. The requirement is for 90 hours learning and development over three years.

Former MP and registered social worker Hilton Dawson told the same session that social workers now have the “best opportunity in a lifetime to improve services” at a time of “profound and far-reaching change”.