Social Work England
Are you ready for Social Work England? In 2016, the Department for Education announced it would set up a new regulatory body for social work in England. The new regulator, Social Work England, will officially take over from the Health and Care Professions Council as of the 02 December 2019. We know that this transition has been concerning members of our social work community, so we passed the questions you sent in onto Social Work England. Here are their responses.
"Will this affect registration?" Social workers in England, who wish to continue to practice, should renew their registration with the current regulator, HCPC. All social workers registered, including those with an address outside of the UK, will be transferred over to Social Work England automatically when we become the regulator on 02 December 2019. Individuals will not have to pay twice or apply twice.
"How do we ensure thorough checks on social workers from overseas to ensure that their qualifications are adequate,
and they are compliant to work in the UK? How can we ensure that they are knowledgeable about our policies and procedures in the UK?" Anyone who has trained to become a social worker outside of England must meet and evidence a number of requirements. Registration will only be granted if we are satisfied that your skills, knowledge, and experience meet our standards. Our registration guidance is currently out for consultation and we welcome any feedback that you may wish to contribute. You can find our proposed
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guidance for international applicants on our website. Please note that these may be amended based on the feedback we gathered during our 10-week consultation period, which finished on 18 October.
"I will be registering to return to social work in February 2020. What does this mean for me?" Our requirements for restoring your registration will be similar to HCPC’s. If you have been out of practice for two years or more, you will need to spend 30 days updating your skills and knowledge through formal study, private study, or supervised practice. If you have been out of practice for five years or more, this will increase to 60 days.
