NISCC registration: who must register, when, and what employers must check

The Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC, often called the Social Care Council) keeps the register of social workers and social care workers in Northern Ireland. Registration is compulsory for social care workers and managers in regulated care services, and the regulations RQIA inspects against say a care worker isn't fit to work unless they're on the register. If you employ care staff in Northern Ireland, checking and tracking NISCC registration is part of safe recruitment.

Who must register

NISCC lists the social care workforce who must register as social care practitioners, social care managers, social workers, probation officers, education welfare officers and social work students. For care providers, that means:

The fitness of workers regulations for residential homes, nursing homes and domiciliary care agencies (law) say a person may only work if they are "registered in the relevant part of the register", meaning the NISCC register. The exceptions are people who must be registered with another statutory body for their role, such as nurses on the NMC register, and volunteers.

When they must register: the six-month rule

NISCC's rules depend on whether the person has worked in social care before:

• New to social care (never worked in a registered social care role): apply as soon as they take up the post, and they must achieve registration within six months of starting.
• Worked in a registered social care role before, for any length of time and even after a break: they must be registered again before starting the new post. They can't start until registration is confirmed.
• Social workers must be registered before taking up any social work post.

The six-month window is for people genuinely new to care, not a grace period for everyone. Check which group a new starter is in at the offer stage.

How to apply

Applications are made online through the NISCC portal. Each application must be endorsed by the employing organisation before it can be fully processed: the applicant names an endorser, and the endorser completes the endorsement from their own account. Employers nominate their authorised endorsers to NISCC, and endorsers can see open applications and fee and renewal dates for their staff on the Employer Portal.

Fees

The fee is paid on first application and then every year on the anniversary of the registration date, by card through the online account. If it isn't paid, the registrant is at risk of removal from the register, and coming back means a full new application. Fees as listed by NISCC in October 2026; check the fees page before budgeting.

Renewal and PRTL

Registration runs for a fixed period and then has to be renewed:

• Social care practitioners and senior care practitioners: every five years.
• Social care managers: every three years.

To renew, the registrant confirms their good character, conduct, competence and fitness to practise, agrees to uphold the Standards of Conduct and Practice, pays any outstanding fees and confirms they have completed at least 90 hours of post-registration training and learning (PRTL) in the period. NISCC sends a reminder at least six weeks before renewal is due and audits a random sample of registrants each year, so some will be asked for evidence of their learning.

Anyone who doesn't renew is removed from the register and can't keep working in their role. NISCC tells the employer automatically.

Ninety hours over five years is about 18 hours a year. NISCC's Learning Zone explains what counts and how to record it; the main thing is to log learning as it happens rather than reconstruct five years at renewal.

Standards of Conduct and Practice

NISCC publishes Standards of Conduct and Practice for Social Care Practitioners, and separate Standards of Conduct and Practice for Employers. Registrants agree to uphold their standards; employers are expected to promote them, support staff to meet them and act when they aren't met.

For care providers this isn't optional in practice. The Residential Care Homes Minimum Standards (Standard 20.3) and the Domiciliary Care Agencies Minimum Standards (Standard 8.4) say employers of social care workers adhere to the NISCC employer standards. Those are minimum standards that RQIA inspects against.

Induction

NISCC's Learning Zone has an Induction Programme for Social Care Practitioners, aimed at people new to social care or changing role or employer, covering what they need to know in their first six months. It's guidance, but the minimum standards require structured induction for new staff (residential Standard 23.1), and NISCC asks employers to make registration part of induction.

Employer checklist

NISCC says employers are responsible for making sure their social care staff are registered. A practical routine:

• At offer stage, ask whether the person has worked in social care before. If yes, check they're registered before their first shift.
• Confirm registration status as part of recruitment, alongside the enhanced AccessNI check and references (residential Standard 19.2). See our RQIA inspection checklist.
• For new-to-care starters, record the start date and the six-month deadline, and check progress at each supervision.
• Endorse applications promptly; keep your list of endorsers up to date with NISCC.
• Check the Employer Portal regularly for annual fee and renewal dates.
• Support PRTL through training and supervision, and encourage staff to log their hours. Our supervision and appraisal guide covers the conversations.
• Report fitness to practise concerns to NISCC.
• Keep the rota clear of anyone whose registration has lapsed.

Common mistakes

• Treating the six-month window as applying to everyone, including returners who must be registered before starting.
• Endorsements left sitting in the portal, so applications stall.
• Only finding out about a lapsed registration when NISCC writes to say someone has been removed.
• PRTL left until the renewal reminder, with five years of learning undocumented.

How ShiftComplete helps

ShiftComplete for care has no link to NISCC's systems, and its staff compliance file doesn't have NISCC or AccessNI fields (it holds DBS, right to work, visa and sponsorship dates, NMC PIN and revalidation, and references). What you can do is use the training matrix to track registration:

• Add "NISCC registration" as an item with a refresh period you set, such as 12 months to line up with the annual fee, and attach a photo of the registration confirmation. It shows green, amber within 30 days of its due date, and red once it lapses.
• Add a "PRTL review" item so hours are checked every year, not every five.
• Supervisions are scheduled, signed on the phone and flagged when overdue, which is where PRTL and the six-month deadline get checked.

It costs £2.49 per active staff member per month, with no contract, and the first 60 days are free with no card needed.

For residential care, see our care homes page; for nursing care, our nursing homes page; and for domiciliary care agencies, our home care page.