When you’re applying to register or renewing your registration as a social care worker, we need to know the information you’ve given us is correct and that you’re suitable to register with us.
Getting an endorsement shows us there aren’t any issues with your character, competence or fitness to practise.
You’ll need someone to endorse your application if you’re:
If you’re applying to register as a social work student, your application details will automatically be confirmed by your university.
When you apply to register, you’ll need to pick the person who will endorse your application from a list of possible endorsers for your employer.
We’ll then email them to let them know your details are waiting to be checked in their SCWonline account.
It’s your responsibility to make sure they complete your endorsement, so we can start to process your information.
If you’re renewing your registration, you must make sure your renewal is completed 21 days before your renewal date. This includes paying your fees and making sure the person you picked to endorse your renewal (if needed) has completed their endorsement.
Endorsers should:
Endorsers can:
The person who endorses your application may vary depending on the work you do or how you’re employed.
Your endorser should be the Social Care Wales signatory for your organisation.
If you have more than one social care job, you’ll need someone from both organisations to endorse your application.
If you’re applying for a registered role where there is no one more senior to endorse your application (for example, you are the responsible individual for your organisation), we’ll check your registration with Care Inspectorate Wales which will be taken as endorsement.
You should be endorsed by two senior people from different social care employers.
One employer needs to complete the endorsement section and the other needs to countersign as a second endorser.
Both endorsers need to have known you for at least two years and must not be related to you or in a personal relationship with you.
Your endorser should be the approved signatory for the employment agency.
When you apply or renew on SCWonline, you’ll see a list of people who are signatories for your employment agency.
You’ll need to pick a person from this list to endorse your application.
Your application should be endorsed by the Social Care Wales signatory for the organisation you were seconded from and the signatory for the organisation you’re seconded to.
You need to list both employers as ‘current employment’ when you fill in your application on SCWonline, so you can see a list of people who are signatories for both organisations.
You should pick endorsers from this list to link them to your application.
Your endorser should be the Social Care Wales signatory for your organisation.
If you don’t have a job in social care yet, you’ll need to be endorsed by the Social Care Wales signatory for your social work course.
You need two people to endorse you. The first person must be one of the following:
The second person must be a professional person who has known you for at least two years and can vouch for your good character and suitability to register. This could be:
If this professional person is not a signatory, they can’t endorse you on our SCWonline system.
But they can provide a character reference to go alongside the endorsement provided by the first person you chose to endorse you.
In the reference, they’ll need to include:
You’ll need to be endorsed by a signatory for that organisation.
You’ll need to print out your completed application from SCWonline so the endorsement can be completed by hand.
If you need to be registered and have met our requirements (for example, provided evidence you’re intending to practise in Wales), you need two endorsers. The first person needs to be one of the following:
The second person must be from your current employer outside social care, your employment agency or a professional person who has known you for at least two years. This person needs to be able to vouch for your good character and suitability to register. This could be:
If this professional person is not a signatory, they can’t endorse you on our SCWonline system.
But they can provide a character reference to go alongside the endorsement provided by the first person you chose to endorse you.
In the reference, they’ll need to include:
Your endorser should be a senior representative of your current or most recent social care employer or a senior representative from your social work or social care course.
This will also likely be the person who verifies the information you provided us as part of your application to register or as part of completion of your qualification equivalency assessment form.
You don’t need endorsement if you’re applying to register with us.
We’ll check your registration with CIW which will be taken as endorsement.
If your service is not yet registered with CIW, follow the guidance for self-employed endorsement.
You can’t ask to have a new endorser if there’s already someone listed at your organisation.
Watch our video, which shows you how the process works:
If your organisation doesn’t have anyone on our system who’s a signatory, you can either:
Your endorser can’t see any equality or health information you include in your application.
If you’re an endorser, you need to:
If you’re endorsing an application, watch our video:
We might contact you to check you signed the form and to confirm your identity.
We’ll send you an email to remind you a form is waiting to be endorsed. We won’t be able to process the form until we’ve received the endorsement.
If this is not completed, we’ll close a person’s application without renewing them or registering them.
If you need help getting your application endorsed or endorsing an application, email our registration team: enquiries@socialcare.wales.
