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Overview

Standard 7: Professional registration

Professional registration

This standard is about how social workers in your organisation keep their registration with Social Work England and meet professional standards. The Children and Social Work Act 2017 set up Social Work England to regulate social work in England. Social Work England's legal duties are to:

  • protect, promote and maintain public health, safety, and wellbeing
  • promote and maintain public confidence in social workers in England
  • promote and maintain professional standards for social workers in England

Social Work England keeps a register of social workers, setting qualification standards, protecting the title of social workers, and investigating and handling fitness to practise concerns. All employers should know Social Work England’s professional standards for safe and effective practice. As a strategic leader, you should: 

  • promote ethical practice 
  • ensure social workers follow regulatory standards
  • build a culture where social workers can challenge unsafe practices
  • report concerns 

As a registration requirement, ensure social workers take part in and record continuing professional development (CPD) annually and provide them with relevant CPD opportunities and supervision. If there are concerns about a social worker’s fitness to practise, you need to: 

  • tell the regulator 
  • cooperate with investigations and hearings 
  • respond appropriately to findings and decisions 

The health check asks social workers to rate their agreement with statements about employer responsibilities. The areas covered include: 

  • support for challenging unsafe practices or reporting concerns 
  • supportive work environment and meeting professional standards 
  • awareness of referral circumstances
  • help with updating CPD records 
  • ease of registration and re-registration with Social Work England 

Individual social workers are responsible for making sure that they maintain their registration. However, Social Work England sets expectations for employers of social workers, including: 

  • checking a social worker’s registration before employment 
  • reporting concerns about a social worker’s fitness to practise 
  • ensuring social workers have a Disclosing and Barring Service (DBS) check 
  • informing the regulator if you dismiss or suspend a social worker 
  • notifying the regulator if you notice anything on the public register than you believe to be 
  • incorrect 
  • ensuring unregistered social workers, and other employees including social work apprentices, do not practise as a social worker or use the title ‘social worker’ 

Some practitioners may be registered with other regulators like the Health Care Professions Council. While their standards for CPD and fitness to practise may differ, the core principles still apply.

This resource references the Professional Standards Authority’s 2022 report, offering recommendations for supporting regulatory oversight of registered professionals.

Ensuring professional standards for social workers 

Registration with Social Work England ensures social workers meet qualifications and safety standards. A learning culture supports raising concerns and maintaining standards. Employers should support CPD, effective supervision, and collaboration with the regulator.

To ensure qualifications and safety, important responsibilities for employers include:

  • mandatory registration with Social Work England 
  • a learning culture supports raising concerns and upholding standards 
  • support for CPD and effective supervision 
  • keeping records about learning for registration renewal and encouraging social workers 
  • to record their CPD online as they undertake it throughout the year 
  • collaboration with Social Work England on fitness to practise 

Read more about Employer standard 7: Professional registration on the Local Government Association website.

References

This is the list of research and evidence sources used to produce this section. Publicly available links are included. 

HM Government. (2017). Children and Social Work Act 2017. Retrieved from Children and Social Work Act 2017 (legislation.gov.uk)  

Social Work England. (2019). Professional Standards.

Social Work England. (n.d.). Information for employers.

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The resources have been developed by Research in Practice in collaboration with DfE.
Published: 30 October 2024
Last updated: 30 October 2024