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SSSC · Social workers and social service workers in Scotland

SSSC remediation courses for social service workers in Scotland

This page is for anyone registered with the Scottish Social Services Council who is facing a fitness to practise investigation, from social workers to care and support workers. It explains how the SSSC decides impairment, what its Decisions Guidance says about insight and remediation, and which online CPD courses fit the concern you are dealing with.

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Remediation in SSSC cases

The SSSC is clear that fitness to practise investigations and decisions are not about punishing workers. Its role is to protect people who use services and maintain public confidence in the workforce. That is why the question is always about the present: is your fitness to practise currently impaired, because of your conduct, professional practice or health?

Remediation is the work you do to show that the concern has been addressed. The SSSC’s Decisions Guidance for Fitness to Practise Panels and SSSC staff describes insight as being able to stand back and accept that, with hindsight, you should have behaved differently. Among the things decision makers can consider are whether you have taken steps to address the concern, such as further training, and whether you apologised at an early stage.

Many SSSC cases are decided by SSSC officers without a hearing, because a hearing is usually only held if the worker asks for one. So the written response you send during the investigation, and any evidence of learning with it, is often the main way you are heard. Getting it right early matters.

Before you start

We are an independent CPD provider, not part of the SSSC. No regulator approves remediation courses, and no course can guarantee an outcome. Take advice from your defence organisation, union or solicitor, and agree with them which learning is relevant to your case.

Matching a course to your SSSC concern

Pick learning that matches the concern in your case. Each item below links the concern to the revised SSSC Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers, which the Decisions Guidance says decisions illustrate how to apply.

Honesty and trustworthiness

Code 2.1 asks you to be truthful, open, honest and trustworthy. Concerns can include false timesheets, misleading records, failing to declare something to the SSSC or an employer, or handling money for someone you support. Because these go to public trust, remediation should show you understand why honesty is central to the role, not only that you know the rule.

Professional boundaries

Code 2.8 asks you to form open, positive relationships and maintain professional boundaries with individuals, colleagues or carers that respect their dignity, wellbeing and safety. Boundary concerns include personal relationships, social media contact and accepting gifts. Show that you can spot when a relationship is drifting and what you do about it.

Records and care notes

Code 5.2 asks you to maintain clear, accurate and up-to-date records in line with policies and procedures. Missing or late care notes and medication records are common in referrals from care settings. Show the routine you now follow and how a manager has checked it. A short audit of your own recent notes can help.

Confidentiality

Code 2.3 asks you to respect confidential information and clearly explain policies about confidentiality to individuals and carers. Concerns often involve photos, messages or conversations outside work. Show that you understand what can and cannot be shared and how to explain this to people you support. Confidentiality also covers what you post online.

Dignity, respect and rights

Code 1 asks you to protect and promote the rights and interests of individuals and carers. Concerns about rough handling, dismissive language or unequal treatment fall here. Remediation should show reflection on how the person experienced your actions and what you do differently now. An honest apology, where appropriate, can help show insight.

Behaviour outside work

The SSSC expects workers to behave, in or outside work, in a way that does not call into question their suitability to work in social services. Code 6 is about upholding public trust and confidence. Remediation should show you understand how private conduct, including online, can affect trust in the whole workforce.

Complaints and accountability

Code 5 asks you to be accountable for the quality of your work and to maintain and improve your knowledge and skills. If a complaint led to the referral, learning on how complaints arise and how to respond professionally shows you take accountability seriously. Show how you now respond when someone raises a concern.

How an SSSC fitness to practise case works

The SSSC describes its investigation in three stages, with a Fitness to Practise Panel hearing only in certain cases. The steps below use the SSSC’s own terms.

  1. 1

    Referral and screening

    Referrals come from employers or are declared by workers themselves, and also from universities, the police and other public bodies. The screening team decides whether the information meets the criteria for opening an investigation. A case may not go ahead if the allegation falls below the SSSC’s thresholds, if there is not enough evidence, or if fitness to practise is not currently impaired. Sometimes further enquiries are made first.

  2. 2

    Investigation

    A caseholder investigates. They will usually send you a form at the start asking you to comment on the concerns. They may ask your employer for its investigation and disciplinary paperwork, contact witnesses, and contact the courts, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service or the police. Your response form is your first chance to show insight. Take advice before completing it, and keep a copy of everything you send.

  3. 3

    Temporary order, if needed

    If the information suggests a risk of harm, or temporary action is needed to uphold public confidence or in your own interests, the SSSC can impose a Temporary Order while it investigates. This can suspend your registration, add conditions, or both. Temporary Order decisions are made by SSSC officers and by Fitness to Practise Panel hearings, which are held in private. The SSSC stresses that an order is not an indication the conduct took place.

  4. 4

    SSSC decision

    At the end of the investigation the SSSC decides whether there is enough evidence to prove some or all of the allegations, and whether those allegations show your fitness to practise is currently impaired. If it is not impaired, or no sanction is needed, the case ends. If a sanction is appropriate, the SSSC writes to you with its decision and reasons. The Decisions Guidance says the decision maker must consider the least restrictive outcome first.

  5. 5

    Impairment Hearing

    Some cases go to an Impairment Hearing automatically, including where it would be unfair to impose a sanction without one. Otherwise, the SSSC only refers a case to a hearing if you ask for one after receiving its decision and reasons. The Fitness to Practise Panel has a legally qualified chair, a social service member who is registered with the SSSC, and a lay member. Impairment Hearings are usually public. You can attend, bring witnesses and be represented.

  6. 6

    Publication and appeal

    When a sanction is imposed on a registered worker, the decision is usually published in full on the SSSC website. Removal decisions stay online for three years; suspension, warning and conditions decisions stay online until the sanction is spent. You can appeal decisions by SSSC officers or a Panel to the Sheriff Court. The SSSC says this should be done within 14 days of the decision being sent to you.

What the SSSC Decisions Guidance asks decision makers to weigh

The same Decisions Guidance is used by SSSC staff and by Fitness to Practise Panels. These are the points from it that your remediation should speak to.

Insight, judged on what you say

The guidance describes insight as the ability to stand back and accept that, with hindsight, you should have behaved differently. Decision makers may infer insight from your written correspondence, and are told to focus on what you say rather than the way you say it. That is reassuring if writing is not your strength. Plain, honest words about what went wrong and why carry more weight than polished language. Avoid jargon and say plainly what you would now do differently.

Steps you have taken

The guidance names taking steps to address the concern, such as undertaking further training, as relevant to insight. It also notes that a worker who lacks insight may fail to apologise or accept their mistakes. Training is most useful when it targets the specific concern and you can show what changed in your work with people you support afterwards. Pair any certificate with a reflection in your own words. Be specific about the course, when you took it and what changed.

Denial is not held against you

The Decisions Guidance says that if you deny allegations that are later found proven, this should not generally be held against you. You are entitled to dispute facts you believe are wrong. You can still show learning on the wider issues, for example on recording or boundaries, without admitting an allegation you contest. Talk this through with your representative before you submit anything. Your adviser can help you strike that balance.

References and testimonials

Positive references and testimonials are likely to be treated as mitigation. The guidance asks decision makers to check whether a reference is genuine, whether the author was fully aware of the allegations, and how recently they saw your work. So ask referees who know about the concern, have them say so in the letter, and choose people who have seen your recent practice. A brief, dated letter on headed paper is usually enough.

Risk and public interest

When looking at risk of harm, decision makers consider factors including the risk of repetition and the values you display. They also consider the public interest. The guidance says the reputation of the profession is more important than the interests of any one worker. Remediation reduces the risk side of the picture, but serious concerns about honesty or trust can still lead to a sanction. Be realistic about this and take advice early.

Recommended SSSC remediation courses

All 14

Each course is self-paced and online. You get scenario-based questions with an 80% pass mark, a structured reflective account and a CPD certificate showing your name, the course title and the CPD hours.

What to put in your SSSC response

Because many SSSC cases are decided without a hearing, your response pack is often the main way the decision maker hears from you. Keep it short, relevant and in date order.

What to put in your bundle

  • Your completed response form, with facts you accept and those you dispute clearly separated.
  • A reflective statement, in your own words, linked to the relevant SSSC Codes of Practice.
  • CPD certificates for courses that match the concern, showing your name, course title and CPD hours.
  • The structured reflective account from each course, adapted so it reflects your own situation.
  • A reference from your current manager who knows about the referral and has seen your recent practice.
  • Supervision notes or a letter confirming the concern has been discussed and how your practice has changed.
  • Any apology you made at the time, or evidence of how you responded when the issue first came up.
  • If a Temporary Order applies, evidence that you have complied with any conditions.

Writing your reflection

  1. Use plain language; the Decisions Guidance says the focus is on what you say, not how you say it.
  2. Explain what happened, why it happened and what you would do differently, with hindsight.
  3. Write about the effect on the people who use services and their carers, as well as on colleagues and your employer.
  4. Refer to the specific Code of Practice standards involved, using the revised Codes in force since 1 May 2024.
  5. Include an example of how you have handled a similar situation since, without identifying anyone.

When to start

Start when you first hear from the SSSC, and before you return your response form if you can. The Decisions Guidance treats an early apology and steps taken to address the concern as relevant to insight. Because the SSSC can decide your case itself without a hearing, what you send during the investigation may be the main evidence it has about your learning.

Take advice from your union, a solicitor or another adviser first. Then choose one or two well-matched courses, apply the learning at work, and write your statement. Learning that has changed practice reads very differently from certificates collected in a hurry.

Combined sanctions and conditions

The SSSC can combine sanctions. Under the Decisions Guidance, a warning can last up to five years, with one, three or five years suggested, and a suspension can last up to two years. Where a warning alone does not address a particular area of concern, a warning and conditions can be imposed. A suspension can also be combined with conditions.

The guidance says conditions may require a worker to undertake further training in a particular area, complete a qualification, or write a reflective account. If conditions apply to you, read the wording closely and choose learning that matches it, then keep the certificates and reflections ready for the SSSC.

Mistakes to avoid with the SSSC

  • Not replying to the SSSC, or replying late, so the decision is made without your side of the story.
  • Treating the response form as a complaint about your employer instead of an account of your own practice.
  • Using references from people who do not know about the referral; the guidance asks whether authors were fully aware of the allegations.
  • Accepting a proposed sanction, or asking for a hearing, without first taking advice on what each route means.
  • Missing the 14-day window to appeal to the Sheriff Court if you think a decision is wrong.

Core course

Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals

Our most complete remediation course: 4 CPD hours and 40 scenario questions on impairment, insight, remediation and reflection, with a certificate when you pass.

£ 150 Add to cart See the full curriculum

SSSC remediation: common questions

Are these courses approved by the SSSC?

No. The SSSC does not approve, accredit or endorse remediation courses for fitness to practise cases, and no course provider can claim otherwise. The Decisions Guidance treats steps such as further training as relevant to insight, but SSSC officers or a Fitness to Practise Panel decide what weight to give any evidence. Relevance to your concern and the quality of your reflection are what matter.

Will a course guarantee the SSSC closes my case?

No. No course can guarantee an outcome. The SSSC considers the evidence on the allegations, current impairment, risk and the public interest. A course with a genuine reflection can help show insight and reduce concern about repetition, but serious concerns, especially about honesty or harm to people who use services, may still lead to a sanction.

Do I have to go to a hearing?

Not always. The SSSC can decide a case itself after the investigation and writes to you with its decision and reasons. Some cases go to an Impairment Hearing automatically, for example where it would be unfair to impose a sanction without a hearing. Otherwise, a Fitness to Practise Panel hearing only happens if you ask for one after receiving that decision.

I am a care worker, not a social worker. Does this apply to me?

Yes. The SSSC registers social workers and a wide range of social service workers in Scotland, and the same fitness to practise process and Codes of Practice apply. Our courses are written for health and care professionals in general, and each one asks you to reflect on your own role and the people you support.

Can I deny an allegation and still show remediation?

Yes. The Decisions Guidance says that denying allegations later found proven should not generally be held against a worker. You can dispute facts and still show learning on the wider themes, such as record keeping or boundaries. How you word this matters, so take advice from your union or a solicitor before submitting a reflective statement.

How long does an SSSC warning last?

Under the Decisions Guidance a warning can last up to five years, and the guidance suggests one, three or five years. Decisions where the sanction is a warning, suspension, conditions or a combination stay published on the SSSC website until the sanction is spent. Removal decisions stay online for three years.

How do your courses work?

Each course is online and self-paced, and you can start as soon as you buy it. Most courses are worth 2 CPD hours with 15 multiple choice questions; the Fitness to Practise course is worth 4 CPD hours with 40 questions. The pass mark is 80%. You complete a structured reflective account and receive a CPD certificate PDF with your name, the course title and CPD hours.

Official sources

This page was checked against Scottish Social Services Council guidance in October 2026. Processes and guidance change, so always confirm the current position with the regulator and your adviser. This page is general information, not legal advice.

SSSC CPD requirements explained

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