Social worker registration fee rise approved by Scottish Government

The Scottish Government has approved a proposed rise in registration fees for social workers and some other regulated staff, in the face of significant practitioner opposition.

As a result, the annual fee paid by social workers to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) will rise, at a rate of £8 per year, from April 2025, reaching £120 in 2029, 50% more than the current £80 charge.

In addition, levies on practitioners and supervisors in care services will rise from £35 a year now to £51 in 2029-30, and those for support workers will grow from £25 to £37, with these changes also implemented incrementally.

Shifting burden of regulation to practitioners

The SSSC proposed the increases to shift the cost of regulation from taxpayers to registrants, in line with the Scottish Government’s policy intentions.

As a result, the proportion of regulatory costs met by professionals will rise from about 60% now to 78% by 2029-30.

However, the policy has met with widespread opposition from practitioners; 81.5% of respondents to a consultation disagreeing that the proposed fee increases were reasonable, with 67.9% disagreeing strongly.

The SSSC made some concessions on the back of the consultation, including deciding to freeze fees for social work students at £15 a year, dropping proposals to increase these by £2 per year.