Useful Links

NFER is the UK's largest independent provider of research, assessment and information services for education, training and children's services. Our clients include UK government departments and agencies at both national and local levels, which benefit from NFER's full range of expert and professional services. Our purpose is to provide independent evidence which improves education and training and hence the lives of learners. Its ambition is to be the research organisation of first choice for those who wish to make a positive difference to learners.

Care England, a registered charity, is the leading representative body for independent care services in England. Working on behalf of small, medium and large providers, Care England speaks with a single unified voice for both members and the whole care sector. Our membership includes organisations of varying types and sizes, amongst them single care homes, small local groups, national providers and not-for-profit voluntary organisations and associations.

The Commission in Scotland champions equality and human rights for all in Scotland.

The European Centre is a UN-affiliated intergovernmental organization concerned with all aspects of social welfare policy and research.

Foster Care Associates (FCA) provides a fostering service to Local Authorities and Trusts across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, providing the highest quality foster care placements for a wide range of children and young people. Our approach to fostering places the child's needs and local support for our foster carers firmly at the centre of what we do.

Grandparents Plus is the national charity which champions the vital role of grandparents and the wider family in children's lives - especially when they take on the caring role in difficult family circumstances.

We are a regulator, and we were set up to protect the public. To do this, we keep a Register of health and care professionals who meet our standards for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health.

The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) is a charitable company with a mission to promote positive outcomes for the people who use Scotland's social services by enhancing the capacity and capability of the social services workforce to access and make use of knowledge & research for service innovation & improvement.

ICSW and our members are active in a wide range of fields within the general areas of social development, social welfare and social justice. This includes issues such as food and nutrition, welfare and health services, social protection, education and housing, as well as many issues relating to economic development, human rights and community participation.

IPPR, the Institute for Public Policy Research, is the UK's leading progressive thinktank. We produce rigorous research and innovative policy ideas for a fair, democratic and sustainable world.

FORWARD (Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development) is committed to gender equality and safeguarding the rights of African girls and women. We are a leading African diaspora women's campaign and support organisation founded in 1983. We work through partnerships in the UK, Europe and Africa to transform lives, tackling discriminatory practices that affect the dignity and wellbeing of girls and women. Our focus is on female genital mutilation (FGM), Child Marriage and Obstetric Fistula.

The Social Work Education Committee (SWEC) represents higher education institutions to government departments and other organisations across the four nations of the United Kingdom. It represents UK Schools of Social Work on the international scene.

CELCIS strives to improve the experiences and life chances of children and young people in Scotland who are looked after, their families, and those who have left care. We do this by working alongside the professionals who touch their lives, and the wider systems responsible for their care. We work in innovative ways, promoting learning and reflection with strategic leaders, managers and with practitioners, as well as across whole systems.

The Mental Health Foundation is the UK's leading mental health research, policy and service improvement charity.

Mind helps people take control of their mental health. We do this by providing high-quality information and advice, and campaigning to promote and protect good mental health for everyone.

This website is intended for members, care professionals and members of the public, to provide easy access to information about the independent care sector and issues that affect us.

The UK's largest independent research organisation for educational and childrens services

The NHS Confederation is the independent membership body for the full range of organisations that make up the modern NHS.

We inspect and regulate to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages.

This website includes Learning Objects designed primarily to support the learning of students or candidates undertaking the Practice Learning Qualification (PLQ) or the Practice Learning Qualification (Social Services) (PLQ(SS)), though they can also be used by anyone wishing to increase their understanding of learning in the workplace.

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) is the independent health and social care regulatory body for Northern Ireland, and forms an integral part of the new health and social care structures. In its work RQIA encourages continuous improvement in the quality of these services through a programme of inspections and reviews.

respectme works with all adults who have a role to play in the lives of children and young people, to give them the practical skills and confidence to deal with bullying behaviour.

Research on Social Work Practice (RSWP), published bi-monthly, is a disciplinary journal devoted to the publication of empirical research concerning the assessment methods and outcomes of social work practice. Intervention programs covered include behavior analysis and therapy; psychotherapy or counselling with individuals; case management; and education.

The SCCJR produces high quality research which is both scholarly and of relevance to the needs of those involved in the formulation, development and implementation of criminal justice policy

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) is responsible for registering people who work in social services and regulating their education and training.

Skills for Care is the employer led authority on the training standards and development needs of more than 1.6 million adult social care staff in England providing over £25 million in funding to support improved training and qualifications for managers and staff.

We regulate, inspect and support improvement of care, social work and child protection services for the benefit of the people who use them. Various kinds of organisations provide the services we regulate: local authorities, individuals, businesses, charities and voluntary organisations.

The social care workforce in England numbers around one million workers and 95,000 were born outside the UK. The sector will continue to rely on recruitment of overseas workers to make sure that social care services can continue to provide essential support for children and adults in need throughout England.