The independent regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England, sets the professional standards which all social workers must meet and includes requirements on maintaining continuing professional development (CPD).

As part of the registration and renewal process, social workers are required to record a minimum of two different pieces of CPD, of which one must include a peer reflection.

Social Work England has confirmed it will review up to 3% of CPD records for the 2025–26 registration year, after the renewal period ends on 30 November 2026. Social Work England will continue to consider its longer-term approach to reviewing CPD which will take into account the outcome of the Independent Review of Social Work Regulation which will be published in due course.

No estimate has been made. Students are unable to claim Universal Credit if they are studying full-time, unless they meet specific exceptions. Universal Credit is designed not to duplicate financial support for fees and living costs provided through the student finance system.

If an eligible student makes a claim to Universal Credit, any loan or grant which provides for the student's basic maintenance is taken into account as income. The first £110 of a student loan or grant paid to meet living costs is disregarded in every monthly Assessment Period in which student income is taken into account in order to help students with any added costs of books, equipment and travel which may be incurred whilst studying or training.

The bursary for Step Up to Social Work programme students aims to support learners while they train. However, the department understands that the current climate may present some additional challenges.

The department fully funds all aspects of the programme and provides students with a bursary of £21,995. We are committed to supporting learners and want to ensure that trainees are equipped with the right resources to successfully complete the programme and become qualified social workers.

Programme students are unlikely to be eligible for Universal Credit, as the bursary amount exceeds what would otherwise have been payable by way of Universal Credit. However, students are also entitled to 15 hours childcare, which is a universal offer for all families in England with 3 to 4 year-olds, as well as the 15 hours early education entitlement for 2 year-olds in receipt of additional support if they meet the eligibility criteria for this entitlement.

The Government is committed to a well-supported adult social care workforce who are recognised as the professionals they are. Enhancing the skills of staff working in adult social care is vital to ensure that the care provided is of good quality, fair, personalised, and accessible. Promoting opportunities to develop skills and knowledge is essential to raise the status of adult social care as a career. We have expanded the first ever national career structure for adult social care, the Care Workforce Pathway, adding new roles and clear career pathways. Backed by £12 million for training through the Learning and Development Support Scheme, this supports staff development and recognises the vital work care professionals do.

The Department has no current plans to introduce a Royal College of care. The Government is committed to transforming adult social care to create a National Care Service and to improving the lives of people drawing on care, unpaid carers, and the social care workforce. We have also launched an independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey, as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission's Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to define its remit to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future.

The Department for Education shares responsibility with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) for social work supply, with DHSC providing bursaries to help with the cost of training. We have also developed guidance for aspiring social workers through the ‘Become a Social Worker’ website and we support initiatives like the Local Government Association’s ‘Make a Difference, Work for your Local Council’ and Social Work England’s ‘Change the Script’ campaigns which encourage student enrolment.

We do not hold information for specific localities, and therefore no assessments have been made. We are committed to the recruitment and retention of social workers, through our existing initiatives like bursaries and the Assessed and Support Year in Employment, which helps build a supply of social workers with the right skills, knowledge, and values.

The Principal Social Work (PSW) Network for Adults across England meet on a regular basis to review all aspects of social work practice and training, underpinned by statutory and policy guidance, which includes the needs of the veteran community. This national network comprises of representatives from all settings including local authorities, National Health Service bodies, the voluntary sector, and Ministry of Defence organisations, and shares an undertaking to develop the competence of the workforce to meet the needs of all vulnerable groups including veterans and their families and carers.

The Office of the Chief Social Worker will be using the PSW network in April to focus on veteran’s social care needs with colleagues, and explore what training materials are available in different local authorities and NHS providers trusts specifically geared towards social work for the purpose of assessment and care planning alongside veterans.

The Government has an ambition to make the United Kingdom the best place in the world to be a veteran by 2028. Veterans are entitled to the same social care and support as the civilian population in England.

The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-2024 included a commitment for the Office for Veterans' Affairs, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to explore options for the introduction of veteran-aware training for social work teams in every local authority in England. There are no immediate plans to implement this specific training.

Instead, the Principal Social Work Network for Adults across England meet on a regular basis to review all aspects of social work practice and training, underpinned by statutory and policy guidance, which includes the needs of the veteran community. This national network comprises of representatives from all settings including local authorities, National Health Service bodies, the voluntary sector, and Ministry of Defence organisations, and shares an undertaking to develop the competence of the workforce to meet the needs of all vulnerable groups, including veterans and their families and carers.

The Government has an ambition to make the United Kingdom the best place in the world to be a veteran by 2028. Veterans are entitled to the same social care and support as the civilian population in England.

We recognise and value the vital contribution of regulated professions, including social workers in adult social care, and are committed to developing the skills of the workforce. That is why we announced a new fund on 10 January 2024 to support recruitment of social work apprentices into adult social care over the next three years.

The new funding will allow local authorities to apply for a contribution towards the costs of training and supervising new social work apprenticeships. Details on what the funding can be used for, how to access the funding, and employer eligibility will be set out in guidance to be published on GOV.UK shortly.

In accordance with the Children Act 1989, local authorities are required to provide services for children in need for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare. Section 47 of the Act requires local authorities to undertake enquiries if they believe a child has suffered or is likely to suffer harm. ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018’ provides statutory guidance on legal requirements and inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Where a child is deemed to be a victim of, or a witness to, domestic abuse, or has suffered child sexual abuse, a referral must be made to children’s social care. Local authority children’s social care will make an assessment of what support is needed in the specific case. Where specific identification of support in schools or colleges is needed, the designated safeguarding lead will work with the mental health support lead and/or others to support children to achieve educational outcomes.

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The following table shows the breakdown of funding offered to parents across the Social Work Bursary scheme:

Source: NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA)

Note: NHS BSA cannot give a count of applications that were deemed ineligible for the parent learning allowance or childcare allowance, as they do not directly record this in their systems. The information for the 2019/20 financial year contains data from two different IT systems with no unique identifiers, so there is a possibility of duplication in the count of students funded.

The department is extremely grateful to social workers for their commitment to improving the lives of children and families every day. Practice Educators play a crucial role in the system, using their experience and expertise to support student social workers. That is why the regulator, Social Work England, has commissioned research to better understand how to support them in providing high quality placements.

The department’s study of local authority child and family social workers provides information on retention in local authority child and family social work. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/longitudinal-study-of-local-authority-social-workers.

Social worker pay is a local government matter and pay rises were agreed for all local government staff on 1 November 2022. Through the department’s planned reform to the Children’s Social Care system, set out in Stable Homes, Built on Love, published on 2 February, we will work to improve transparency on pay and progression for social workers. The department is also supporting local authority leaders to strengthen their recruitment and retention strategies, including the recruitment of up to 500 additional child and family social worker apprentices, consulting on national rules relating to agency social workers, addressing unnecessary workload drivers, and providing best practice tools on improving working conditions.

The department is extremely grateful to social workers for their commitment to improving the lives of children and families every day. Practice Educators play a crucial role in the system, using their experience and expertise to support student social workers. That is why the regulator, Social Work England, has commissioned research to better understand how to support them in providing high quality placements.

The department’s study of local authority child and family social workers provides information on retention in local authority child and family social work. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/longitudinal-study-of-local-authority-social-workers.

Social worker pay is a local government matter and pay rises were agreed for all local government staff on 1 November 2022. Through the department’s planned reform to the Children’s Social Care system, set out in Stable Homes, Built on Love, published on 2 February, we will work to improve transparency on pay and progression for social workers. The department is also supporting local authority leaders to strengthen their recruitment and retention strategies, including the recruitment of up to 500 additional child and family social worker apprentices, consulting on national rules relating to agency social workers, addressing unnecessary workload drivers, and providing best practice tools on improving working conditions.