Press Release

GSCC appoints five new Council members

August 27 2009

Social work regulator, the General Social Care Council (GSCC) announced the appointment of five new members to its Council following a selection carried out by the Appointments Commission. The new appointees are Jill Crawford, John Tate, David Plank, Robin Currie and Gordon Ratcliffe.

The new Council members will replace Bill McClimont and Harry Marsh whose terms of office end on 31 August, John Knight who resigned earlier this year, Michael Leadbetter who sadly passed away earlier this year and Melanie Henwood whose term of office ends on 30 April 2010.

The GSCC, which regulates social workers and social work education and training, is led by a Council of ten members who meet six times a year to determine the strategic direction of the organisation. The Council must have a majority of lay members – those who have not worked in social care within a year of their appointment.

Jill Crawford is currently lead Consultant for NCT Consulting, which supports primary care trusts and acute trusts in the provision of maternity services. She sits on the board of Independent Midwives UK and on the Fitness to Practice panel at the General Medical Council. Formerly Jill was the President of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Milton Keynes and Bradford Maternity Service Liaison committee. Jill is a lay member and lives in Newport Pagnell.

John Tate is a Barrister and Director of Legal Services at the Independent Police Complaints Commission. In addition to his current role, John is Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Committee of the Kingston Primary Care Trust. His previous roles include Solicitor to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman, Legal Adviser to the Health Service Ombudsman and Assistant Director to the Serious Fraud Squad. John is a lay member and lives in Surbiton.

Robin Currie served as Chief Executive at the Personal Service Society for 28 years before retiring this year. In addition, Robin is a conduct committee member at the GSCC, a Senior Research Fellow in health and social care at Liverpool Hope University and a non-executive director at the Merseyside Training and Enterprise Council. Robin is a non-lay member and lives in Carnforth.

Gordon Ratcliffe is the Divisional Director of Services to children and young people at the NSPCC North Division. Previously he was a Courts Section Manager and team leader for Bradford Social Services where he started working as a social worker. Gordon has also been a trustee of the National Children's Research Institute. He is a non-lay member and lives in Huddersfield.

David Plank has been a senior manager and non-executive director since 1978. Since retiring from full time employment he now serves as a freelance interim manager and consultant. In addition, David sits on conduct committees at the GSCC, the General Chiropractic Council and the General Osteopathic Council amongst others. Prior to his retirement, David worked at a number of London boroughs including the London Borough of Enfield, London Borough of Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham. He is a lay member and resides in Hertford. David's appointment will start on 1 May 2010.

All new appointees will serve for four years and, with the exception of David Plank, will start their term on 1 September with remuneration set at £7,765 per annum. Appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if any declared) to be made public. In accordance with this regulation all the new Council members have declared no political activity. The appointments have been made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice.

In welcoming the new Council members, GSCC Chair Rosie Varley said:

"This is an exciting time for social work and the GSCC is at the forefront of the work underway to build a strong profession for the future. I am delighted to welcome new Council members of such high calibre, whose breadth of experience will help the GSCC to protect people who use social care services and ensure they receive excellent quality of care.

I must also pay tribute to those Council members who leave us and to the late Michael Leadbetter. I am grateful to all of them for the significant contribution they have made to embedding the system of regulation of the social care workforce."