The Department of Health has commissioned a review of the General Social Care Council, Skills for Care and the Social Care Institute for Excellence in the context of the current transformation of adult social care - i.e. the personalisation agenda - and whether the £95m the DH spends on the three bodies is cost-effective.
The specific remit we've been given is as follows:-
The review will consider the role and purpose of the three organisations; their statutory functions; their governance and funding arrangements; the relationships between them; their relationships with DH; their relationships with stakeholders. In considering the role of the GSCC, the review will ensure continuing assurance of public protection and the read across to the health sector. In addition, the review will ensure consideration of the UK-wide system of regulation and the need to align regulation across the four countries of the UK.
The review will consider the roles of the three organisations in respect of professional social work training. This aspect of the review will be undertaken jointly with DCSF and will link to the joint priority review of social work education.
Do people have any thoughts on what the review should achieve and what the future of these three organisations - which come April will effectively be the only national governmental or government-funded agencies in England with a social care specific focus - when CSCI merges into the Care Quality Commission.
Dame Denise Platt, CSCI's chair, has been asked to contribute to the review.