Some of the country's social workers could face serious consequences, including fines or jail time, if they do not register with the organisation charged with regulating the profession by the end of this month.

Failure to register may also lead to a shortage of social workers, resulting in further problems in an already overburdened system.

CORU is the body charged with regulating the country's health and social workers and by law, these workers must register by May 31. However, with just over two weeks to go until the deadline, it is estimated that over half of social workers have still not applied to register.

"Registration, which is aimed at protecting the public, is the law and social workers who do not apply for registration by May 31 will face serious consequences. After that date, people who use the title social worker illegally may be prosecuted and if convicted can be fined up to €5,000, imprisoned for up to six months or both," the organisation explained.

It noted that the May 31 deadline is particularly important for social workers who hold ‘historical qualifications' - a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW) or a National Qualification in Social Work (NQSW) - as these qualifications will not be accepted after May 31, so they may not be able to register at all.

"I am strongly urging social workers to make sure they do not miss the May 31 deadline by submitting their applications now. If a social worker is not registered, they are not legally allowed to practise calling themselves a social worker.

"Many employers, including the HSE, insist on registration for social workers. It is imperative that social workers get their applications into CORU by May 31. If a significant number of social workers do not register, we may face a situation where the system does not have a sufficient number of registered social workers to meet the existing demand," warned CORU chief executive, Ginny Hanrahan.

The process of registration can take up to 16 weeks, however if a social worker has submitted their application before May 31, they can use the title ‘social worker' while their application is being processed.

The public will also be able to check the register online to see if an individual social worker is registered. For more information, click here