Most social workers say that the regulation of social work jobs has helped increased its status in the eyes of the public, a survey of more than 800 social workers has found.

The General Social Care Council survey was published today, coinciding with the 100,000 person to register as a social worker in England. Carried out through the GSCC's Social Work connections website, the survey revealed three quarters of social workers believe regulation has boosted the status of their profession to a par with medicine and nursing.

Although professional regulation is often bemoaned by many people in their day to day duties, in the long term it seems that many of those in social work appreciate its effects on the wider profession. 92% said the introduction of regulation had been good overall. 76% said that it had helped improve standards of training, with a similar proportion saying this had boosted public confidence in the profession.

63% believe that the regulation had weeded out people who were unsuitable for social work jobs.

The GSCC is the official regulator for social work in the UK. It was established in 2001 after the approval of the Care Standards Act 200. Since 2005 all social workers have had to register with the GSCC, binding them to a code of practice. It has since been illegal to work under the title of social worker without the oversight of the GSCC.