Qualified Social Care Worker – Professional Recognition Procedure
General information
The job description may vary depending on the main area of activity:
- Work with older adults (qualified social care worker A)
- Work with people with disabilities (qualified social care worker BA)
- Support for people with disabilities (qualified social care worker BB)
Qualified social care workers are trained professionals who support people who are disadvantaged in their daily lives due to age, disability or other difficult circumstances. Their support is based on extensive knowledge about the various aspects of living with these disadvantages and can provide a wide range of support, assistance and help in questions of shaping one's live, coping with their daily routines or finding a meaning in life. What makes this profession unique is the combination of all the skills required for a comprehensive, positive support within the personal spheres of the people concerned, rather than a high degree of specialisation in narrowly defined fields or a focus on physical care. Qualified social care workers take a holistic view of the specific life situations of older, disabled or disadvantaged people and meet their individual needs through targeted measures. In doing so, they contribute to improving and/or maintaining their quality of life and support them in living a life in dignity.
Qualified social care workers work together with those who play decisive roles in the lives of those in need, including all care-providing agencies, and particularly – as required – with experts in the fields of therapy, medicine, law, healthcare and nursing, etc. In their professional ethos, qualified social care workers are committed to the principles of social care which are based on up-to-date scientific findings: normalisation of living conditions, integration and self-determination.
The area of activity of a qualified social care worker includes areas of independent responsibility and, in the areas of “work with older adults” and “Work with people with disabilities”, an area that include nursing duties as a care assistant; in the specialisation of ‘Support for people with disabilities’, it includes assistance with basic care.
Requirements
The procedure for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications is determined in the “Salzburger Berufsqualifikationen-Anerkennungsgesetz”
Where equivalence is established, the competent authority must recognise such equivalence by means of a formal decision. The decision on recognition may require the completion of compensatory measures.
Required documents
- Proof of nationality (e.g. passport or identity card),
- Evidence of training or qualification from a state-recognised training programme in a social care profession (diploma, certificate of completion, etc.) entitling the holder to practise the profession in their country of origin,
- Curriculum vitae,
- Certificate from the competent authority stating the qualification levels to which these documents correspond under the Professional Qualifications Recognition Directive (detailed curriculum showing the duration of the training and the number of teaching hours allocated to each subject, broken down into theory and practice),
- where applicable, evidence of professional experience acquired, indicating the nature and duration of the work, and of prior training,
- proof of a principal place of residence in Austria or the appointment of an authorised representative for service of documents,
- marriage certificate or other documents, if the current name does not match that on diplomas, certificates, etc.,
- proof of the required language skills (certificates, personal interview, etc.),
- a medical certificate confirming fitness to practise the profession, which must not be more than three months old at the time of submission,
- a police certificate (certificate of good conduct) from the country of origin, which must not be more than three months old at the time of submission
Procedure
No data available
Costs and fees
As set out in the applicable statutory regulations on fees (Gebührengesetz, S.VuK-VO)
Deadlines
There are no specific deadlines for the applicant.
Legal bases
Salzburger Sozialbetreuungsberufegesetz – S.SBBG, LGBl. Nr. 34/2009 idgF
Salzburger Berufsqualifikationen-Anerkennungsgesetz, LGBl. Nr. 35/2017 idgF
Means of redress or appeal
An appeal may be lodged against a decision. The appeal must be submitted in writing within four weeks to the authority that issued the decision. The deadline is initiated upon service of the written copy or, in the case of an oral pronouncement, upon such pronouncement.
The appeal must also specify the decision against which it is directed, the authority concerned, the grounds on which the claim of unlawfulness is based, the relief sought, and the information necessary to assess whether the appeal has been lodged in time. An appeal is no longer admissible if, following the service or pronouncement of the decision, the party has expressly waived the right to appeal.
Furthermore, every decision contains a notice of appeal rights, which specifies the authority to which the appeal must be lodged and the deadline within which it must be lodged.
Further information
Competent authority
Amt der Salzburger Landesregierung
Abteilung 9: Gesundheit und Sport
Referat 9/01: Gesundheitsrecht und Gesundheitsplanung
Authentication and signature
No data available
Assistance and problem-solving services
Link to form
This form will be sent directly to the competent authority; it will not be sent via the Single Point of Contact.
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Competent authority
Data protection
Land Salzburg - Allgemeine Datenschutzerklärung
Last update
20.05.2026