Who we are

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) is an independent charity, set up in 2001 as a cornerstone of the Government's "Quality Strategy for Social Care". SCIE makes a unique contribution to improving the quality and consistency of social care practice by developing, promoting and embedding knowledge and good practice in social care. SCIE's principal funders are the Department of Health in England, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

SCIE works with people and organisations throughout the social care sector to identify useful information, research and examples of good practice. Using this information, we produce resources which evaluate practice in a particular area of social care, draw out key messages for good practice and identify areas where more research is needed to inform good practice. We also run a free on-line resource called Social Care Online. Practitioners, researchers, service users, carers and policy makers rely on SCIE's resources as a central and trusted point for evidence-based good practice guidance.

SCIE's work covers the breadth of social care, including services for adults, children and families, human resource development, social work education, service user involvement and more.