The 2000 Act established a new, independent regulatory body for social care and private and voluntary healthcare services in England and Wales. The following year, the General Social Care Council (GSCC), the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), the Care Council for Wales (CCW), and the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) were set up. On 1 April 2005 the title ‘social worker’ became protected by law, meaning that only those who were registered with one of the councils could call themselves social workers. Statutory registration put social work on a par with other regulated professions such as medicine, law and nursing.

Source: Briefing Paper: Social Work Regulation (England)