Reshaping standards, enabling change: consultation response

11 December 2019

• A message from the CEO
• About us
• Introduction
• How we consulted
• How we gathered responses to the consultation
• Who responded?
• What we heard
• The professional standards
• Qualifying education and training standards (2020)
• Education and training rules
• Registration rules
• Fitness to practise rules
• The final rules and standards
• What we have learned
• Changes to the professional standards
• Changes to the qualifying education and training standards
• Changes to education and training rules
• Changes to registration rules
• Changes to fitness to practise rules
• Equality impact assessment

A message from the CEO

In February we launched our consultation on the new rules and standards for social workers in England. As part of the process we asked you to get involved and help shape the regulator we will become by giving us your feedback, thoughts and ideas.

We had a great response and your comments have really tested and challenged our thinking. In this document, we present our findings and introduce the rules and standards that will come into force when we become the professional regulator in December 2019.

Our rules underpin our work as the new specialist regulator and detail what you can expect from us. Our standards set out what we expect from social workers, and of those who educate and train people who want to join the profession.

The challenge for us all now is to bring these standards to life so that they are embedded across the profession, reflecting the value and diversity of social work practice and the positive impact it has on people’s lives, families and communities.

We are committed to collaborative working and we believe that these standards and rules demonstrate this commitment. They are robust and evidence based, and reflect the views and expertise of a wide range of people.

Thank you to everyone who gave us their time, energy and knowledge—you have made an immense contribution to the establishment of Social Work England. This milestone is one of the first steps on our journey to becoming the regulator. We look forward to many more opportunities for collaboration and development in the years ahead.

About us

Every day, social workers support millions of people to improve their chances in life. Social Work England is a specialist body taking a new approach to regulating social workers in their vital roles. We believe in the power of collaboration and share a common goal with those we regulate—to protect the public, enable positive change and ultimately improve people’s lives.

Introduction

Rules and standards sit at the core of our ability to regulate social workers in England. Our rules set out what people can expect from us across registration, education and training, and fitness to practise.

Our professional standards set out the requirements we expect social workers to meet and continue to meet to maintain their registration. We also set standards for the providers of social work education and training courses. These standards ensure that the right students are admitted onto social work courses, that they are working towards the professional standards, and that they are preparing for employment as a social worker.

We started talking to people about our rules and standards in 2018. We talked with our professional expert group (see below) and our experts by experience (see below) who offered advice and challenge on our initial proposals.

Professional expert group: Association of Directors of Adults Social Services, Association of Directors of Children’s Services, Association of Professors of Social Work, Become, British Association of Social Workers, CAFCASS, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Chief Social Worker for Adults, Frontline, Goldsmiths University London, JUCSWEC, Local Government Association, Northern Ireland Social Care Council, NSPCC, Principal Adult Social Worker Network, Principal Child and Family Social Worker Network, Professional Standards Authority, Scottish Social Services Council, Shaping Our Lives, Skills for Care, Social Care Institute for Excellence, Social Care Wales, Think Local Act Personal, UNISON, University of Bradford, University of Central Lancashire, University of Sheffield and Youth Justice Board.

The experts by experience group are comprised of people with a wide variety of lived experience of social work. The group is facilitated by us and its purpose is to inform and challenge our thinking, increase communication and understanding of different perspectives, and create real opportunities for engagement in order to make effective change happen.

On 21 February 2019 we launched a public consultation, which ran for 10 weeks and covered five areas:

• Professional standards
• Qualifying education and training standards
• Education and training rules
• Registration rules
• Fitness to practise rules

After the consultation closed on 1 May 2019, we published a first look document to provide a preview of the feedback ahead of the full consultation response. In this preview document we noted the feedback we received to the rules and standards, set out our response, and provided our rationale for any changes made.

We also provided a summary of some of the feedback we received about social work generally, including personal experiences and hopes for us as the new social work regulator.

How we consulted

Through the consultation we wanted to reach as many people as possible who have an interest in our work. To do this, we designed a consultation approach which enabled us to engage with people in several different ways.

From 21 February to 1 May 2019, we held six public events across the country, as well as two events for people with lived experience of social work. We also turned to our professional experts and our experts by experience, who advised us on the development of our original proposals.

In addition to face-to-face engagement, we asked questions in online surveys and held six Twitter question and answer sessions. This approach helped us to understand the response to our proposals and to hear everyone’s views and voices.

How we gathered responses to the consultation

Our public events took place in London, Plymouth, Salford, Newcastle, Birmingham and Sheffield. At these events, we talked through our proposals and captured feedback from attendees.

We held table discussions at our events to maximise the opportunity to hear from people, allowing attendees to ask questions and share their experiences. Social Work England staff took notes, which were sorted into themes alongside feedback received by email, post and through our social media channels. Visual artists attended the events to track conversations in images and allowed people to record their thoughts.

We worked with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to run two events specifically for children, young people and adults with lived experience of social work. These groups discussed the professional standards and the standards for education and training.

The workshop style events aimed to make the content engaging and allowed a range of ways to participate. A visual artist also recorded the conversations at these sessions. SCIE and the event attendees coproduced a report of their recommendations.

To accompany face-to-face engagement, we asked questions via online surveys about the extent to which people agreed with our proposals. Respondents could rank their level of agreement on scales from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). Respondents also had the opportunity to provide additional comments or information to each question.

The scales helped us to understand the extent to which people supported the proposed rules and standards, and the comments helped us to consider areas for change and development.

We received 590 online responses and 30 written responses. This included feedback from membership organisations such as BASW and UNISON, representative of members of the sector.

Who responded?

Consultation event results

Here we show a breakdown of the people who attended our six national events, based on the information they gave us (if provided). We also held two additional events for people with lived experience of social work.

Birmingham

• Academia: 8
• Council: 5
• Other (not stated): 3
• Managers in social care: 2
• Social worker: 3

Sheffield

• Academia: 6
• Council: 19
• Other (not stated): 3
• Managers in social care: 3
• Social worker: 2
• People with lived experience: 1
• Local authority: 2

Newcastle

• Council: 25
• Other (not stated): 8
• People with lived experience: 2
• Local authority: 2

Salford

• Academia: 4
• Council: 11
• Other (not stated): 30 
• Social work student: 2
• Local authority: 2

Plymouth

• Academia: 1
• Council: 20
• Other (not stated): 3
• Mental health services: 1

London

• Adult social worker:2
• Child social worker: 2
• Academia: 14
• Council:30
• Other (not stated): 17
• Local authority: 2

People responding as individuals and their role (Online survey results)

• Prefer not to say: 8
• Other health services: 8
• Local authority: 9
• Social work student: 10
• Children's social care - other: 19
• Mental health services: 28
• Adult social care - other: 29
• Charity or non-governmental organisation: 29
• Other (not stated): 38
• Higher education institution/academia: 42
• Children's social care - social worker: 103
• Adult social care - social worker: 132
• Overall total: 455

People responding on behalf of their organisation (Online survey results)

• Regulator: 10
• Not stated: 11
• Professional body: 13
• Charity and/or voluntary sector organisation: 14
• Education provider: 30
• Employer: 57
• Overall total:135

What we heard

As part of the consultation we took the opportunity to ask people what they thought about social work regulation in England more generally. This feedback continues to inform our work and in the ‘next steps’ section, we set out how we have reflected on these comments. Here are just a few from people who took the time to tell us about their personal experiences.

‘I want social workers to be committed in the role, then you can’t just leave out of the blue.’ Person with lived experience

‘We need to make sure all social workers sing from the same song book.’ Person with lived experience

‘[The public] have limited knowledge regarding the role of a social worker.’ Social worker

‘One set of standards means consistency in the quality of the social work practice.’ Social worker

‘We get treated like we don’t matter, respect our history.’ Person with lived experience

‘A recurring theme in disciplinary hearings for social workers is that they are overworked/have an overwhelming caseload, in addition to other complaints such as having to work in unsatisfactory conditions.’ Social worker

‘The use of social media has, on occasions, re-victimised those who have entered the ‘system’ and I fear this has undermined our profession somewhat.’ Social worker

‘There is always the concern that the list of standards are a list to use as disciplinary measures against staff rather than a supporting tool to the profession.’ Social worker

‘Social workers should be trained to support people to recognise and realise their goals.’ Person with lived experience

‘I must be able to listen to and understand clearly the needs presented by the service receiver. That to me is where the need for understanding resides. That interface.’ Social worker

‘It can be challenging at times to promote professional social work standards in an NHS trust where the health care culture is dominant.’ Social worker

‘I think the interaction between the professional capabilities framework and knowledge and skills statement is quite confusing for most practitioners.’ Social worker

‘I find the PCF more than adequate and cannot understand why there had to be the KSS let alone now a third document.’ Social worker

‘[Social workers who are care experienced, should be] using it well, not ‘oversharing’ their own experiences or because they experienced something similar.’ Person with lived experience

‘What happens when students enter the system? Social work students are equipped to be good social workers, but something happens when they enter employment...what is it?’ Person with lived experience

‘The public, the media and other professionals have such low regard for social workers which is sad and unacceptable and needs to be addressed...’ Social worker

‘My experience is that in this current climate of managerialism, social worker managers (and I have been one) are not supported by the organisation to uphold social work values.’ Social worker

‘Glad it is changing to a social work governing body - more specialised and gives the profession more credibility.’ Social worker

The professional standards

The professional standards are the standards that we will expect social workers to meet and uphold.

What you said

The average approval rating in the survey for the proposed professional standards was 4.4 out of 5.0. The professional standards were generally seen as clear, simple and accessible. Most comments focused on clarity, strengthening areas of social work practice and personal accounts of the social work environment.

Social workers described being able to relate to the professional standards, which they said are strengths-based, specialist, and reflective of social work values. Most approved of the ‘I will’ statements. Some felt that the professional standards were too detailed and, in places, open to interpretation.

There was notable concern about the number of standards and frameworks for social workers. Many expressed a desire for employers to support social workers in meeting the standards, especially in busy work environments.

People with lived experience of social work recommended making the professional standards clearer. Young people suggested bringing the standards alive with real life examples, whereas the adults thought there should be more emphasis on rights-based approaches and social justice. For both groups, listening, communication, honesty, compassion, reliability and knowledge were the key features of a good social worker.

Other responses were about perceived gaps. Supervision, resilience, duty of candour and leadership were areas that individuals and organisations suggested we should include. Some felt that the standard relating to continuing professional development (CPD) was underdeveloped.

Many asked for guidance to support the standards. Some also requested a map of the professional standards against other frameworks and standards that social workers work with, to show how they relate.

What we did

• We recorded the professional standards.
• We moved the standard on CPD and provided greater detail on the standards that sit beneath it.
• We added that, where social workers are working with people, they include feedback from them when reflecting on their practice.
• We recognised the concern over ambiguity, we separated out individual standards and added language where appropriate to elaborate on meaning.
• We made greater reference to social justice, social work practice and rights-based approaches in social work.
• We have added new standards, including standards on families and communities, assessments, culture and proportionate interventions.
• We understand that the landscape of standards for social work is considered crowded and we will work with relevant social work organisations to produce a map.

A table detailing the changes we made to the professional standards and why is in the section Changes to the professional standards

Qualifying education and training standards (2020)

Our qualifying education and training standards (2020) set out the requirements we expect social work courses to meet.

These new standards will be in place from autumn 2020. We are also publishing our first set of education and training standards (2019), which will be implemented from the date that we become the social work regulator. These standards will mirror the current standards for education and training, with some minor changes. The reason we are taking this approach is to allow course providers time to make any changes that are required as a result of our new 2020 standards.

What you said

The average approval rating in the survey for the 2020 education and training standards was 4.0 out of 5.0. The standards were generally seen as positive, robust and covering all the necessary areas. People particularly welcomed the standard on supporting students. Respondents were positive about the fact that the standards have been developed through collaboration with the sector.

Education providers asked for guidance to better understand how to apply the 2020 education and training standards. Respondents also wanted a clear definition of a statutory placement. Some were concerned that statutory placements would limit students’ experiences and be difficult for education and placement providers to manage. Others felt that they were essential for helping students to gain the required skills and knowledge.

The people with lived experience of social work who were involved in the SCIE events suggested that admissions processes should include a consideration of students’ values, personal traits and prior experience.

They also thought that co-production should take place in all aspects of education, including student selection, course design, course delivery, student placements and assessment.

Other responses included feedback about the importance of students’ health, wellbeing and risk whilst on placement. Some suggested that we needed a greater emphasis on preparing students to undertake CPD when qualified.

What we did

• We amended the wording of the standards to clarify that they apply to all routes into social work, and that the 200 placement days can include up to 30 days for skills training. We placed more emphasis on students’ development of knowledge and skills in order to meet the professional standards once qualified.
• We included a new standard about policies, procedures and support systems for students on placement.
• There is also a new standard about considering students’ prior experience as part of admissions processes.
• After careful consideration, we decided to maintain the requirement for one statutory placement in order to ensure all students gain experience in practice settings that prepare them to register with us and practise as social workers. Our draft guidance on practice placements includes a detailed definition of what we mean by a statutory placement.

A table detailing the changes we made to the qualifying education and training standards (2020) and why is in the section Changes to the qualifying education and training standards

Education and training rules

The education and training rules set out how we will approve and reapprove social work courses that qualify people to register as a social worker.

What you said

The average approval rating for the rules in the survey was 4.0 out of 5.0. The proposed rules were generally seen as positive, but the feedback we received was varied.

The most common area of feedback was that the standard of English among social work students should be monitored and improved. Similarly, some identified the absence of specific criteria in relation to tests of knowledge of English.

Several people wanted a definition of ‘best practice’ in relation to best interest assessors. Social workers who are also qualified best interest assessors ensure that decisions about people which affect their liberty are taken with reference to their human rights and safeguard their best interests.

Across the education and training rules, there was a general desire for guidance to support the rules, to help make specific aspects clear for education and training providers. A small number of respondents felt inspections should not include observing lectures.

What we did

• We have added an additional criterion to rule 3 to address tests of knowledge of English, and to link this criterion to the professional standards and registration requirements.
• We have reduced the timescales for the drafting and publication of an inspection report.
• We will provide guidance to support the implementation of our rules.

A table detailing the changes we made to the education and training rules and why is in section Changes to education and training rules

Registration rules

Our registration rules set out what we will require from social workers who register with us. This includes how the registration and appeal process will work. The rules also set out the registration renewal period, requirements around CPD and how we will collect fees.

What you said 

The average approval rating in the survey for the rules was 3.9 out of 5.0. Most of the feedback we received related to CPD, information recorded on the public register, fees and annual renewal.

We received a high number of queries around the information that we will require at registration and the information we will publish on the public register. Social workers expressed a concern that displaying the postal town of their registered address may compromise their safety. Others asked how we intend to record gender identity.

In the rules, we propose a renewal of registration on an annual basis. Professional organisations, as well as several individual respondents queried the rationale behind this.

Most of the feedback we received relating to fees centred around concerns over anticipated increases. The rules set out our fee structure and how we will collect fees - they do not detail the levels of fees.

Overall, respondents felt the proposals around CPD were a positive step and would encourage a shift in the profession’s learning culture. There were concerns that keeping CPD records up to date could be an additional pressure for social workers.

The proposal of an online recording system was generally very well received, with respondents wanting an easy to use system, available on mobile devices. Social workers who attended our public events generally disliked measuring learning in hours or points.

What we did

• We have clarified that only the postal town of the employment address will be displayed on the public register. Where no employment address is provided, no other postal town will be displayed.
• We have made clearer that gender identity of social workers will not be made available to the public on the register.
• We strongly believe that annual renewal of registration has several benefits. It will ensure regular and ongoing engagement with registrants, will help to keep the public register and contact information about registrants up to date, and will assure the public that CPD is being undertaken by all social workers regularly. For this reason, we have decided that we will have an annual cycle of renewal.
• We will provide guidance on aspects of the rules, including what information should be provided during the application process, and how decisions will be made about applications. Following consultation, we are developing our approach to CPD in more detail and will undertake a public consultation in the coming months.

A table detailing the changes we made to the registration rules and why is in section Changes to registration rules

Fitness to practise rules

The fitness to practise rules set out what will happen when someone raises a concern about a social worker.

What you said

The average approval rating for the rules in the survey was 3.5 out of 5.0. The proposed rules and the fitness to practise process were generally seen as fair, efficient and designed with social workers in mind. Most welcomed its potential to speed up an investigation for all involved, as well as the support for social workers and those raising a concern.

People responded well to the triage process, where we will scrutinise concerns from the outset. Social workers expressed a desire to understand the threshold for raising a concern and requested guidance to make this clear. We also received positive feedback about the role of case examiners, who have the ability, where appropriate, to close investigations without a hearing. Respondents also appreciated the involvement of social workers throughout an investigation.

Professional bodies generally disagreed with the proposal to use panels without a social worker present, and with the proposal to hold hearings without a legal expert in some circumstances. Some suggested that the availability of advice from the legal expert can assist in avoiding unnecessary appeals. Views were generally mixed on the extent to which hearings should take place in public.

In addition to the rules, social workers were interested in the role of employers in fitness to practise cases. This included how employers learn from investigations involving their employee(s), and how employers may be involved in the investigation process. Some respondents also raised concerns about the legalistic style of the language in the rules and encouraged a ‘plain English’ description of the process.

What we did

• Acknowledge the strength of opposition to the proposal around not having social workers on panels and the possibility to hold hearings without a legal expert. We have removed this from the rules. Our objective was to save costs to registrants by not having legal resource as part of investigations where they don’t require it. We recommend that we study such investigations over several years and report on how often bespoke legal advice was required.
• Intend to provide several guidance documents to support the fitness to practise process. We also anticipate that our regional engagement leads will be at the forefront of conversations with social workers and employers across the country.
• Agree that plain English explanations of the process will be helpful, and we will produce these separately. The language of the rules themselves must be unambiguous in a legal sense, so they are necessarily legalistic in tone.

A table detailing the changes we made to the fitness to practise rules and why is in section Changes to fitness to practise rules

The final rules and standards

Following consultation, the rules and standards were signed off by the Secretary of State for Education and will come into effect when we begin regulating. We understand from the feedback we have received that people would like to see guidance to support the standards and to make clear what the rules will mean in practice.

We are currently working on developing guidance materials and policies, some of which we will consult on publicly to make sure we are making our work clear, transparent and understandable.

Some of the guidance that we will be seeking feedback on through a public consultation in the coming months, includes:

• Fitness to practise sanctions policy, triage decision making guidance, pre-hearing case management guidance and our publications policy;
• Continuing professional development guidance and evidence framework.

What we have learned

This consultation was our first opportunity to talk with people about social work, their experiences and their hopes for a new, specialist regulator.

All the feedback we have received enables us to build a picture of the profession we will regulate and the people who sit at the heart of our overarching objective of public protection. The ‘what we heard’ section of this document reflects just some of the thoughts and concerns people shared with us, all of which helped to inform our understanding.

• People with lived experience of social work want to have a meaningful and considered voice about the future of social work regulation.
• Social workers want clarity. The landscape of social work is “crowded” with standards and the connection between them all is unclear.
• Social workers want their employers to support them in upholding our standards, accessing supervision and completing CPD.
• Social workers often struggle with high caseloads, busy work schedules and resource constraints that can mean they feel overworked and under-supported.
• There is a perception that the role of the social worker is not fully understood by non-social work employers or by the public.
• A new, specialist regulator is an opportunity to offer clarity to the sector and credibility to the profession.

These lessons have been an invaluable benefit to us and while some of the solutions are not immediate or always within our authority to remedy, we will consider them carefully in the course of our work and in conversation with our partners.

For our part, we will continue to work with people with lived experience of social work and social workers in developing our proposals. This means asking people what would make our work clearer and thinking carefully about what we offer up to the sector, ensuring that we are led by research, intelligence and engagement. We look forward to working with all those who have an interest in social work to become a responsive, fair and effective specialist regulator for social work.

Changes to the qualifying education and training standards

Changes to registration rules

Introduction

Social Work England is the new, specialist regulator for social workers in England. Between 21 February and 1 May 2019, we held a public consultation on our rules and standards that will be implemented when we become the regulator in December.

This equality impact assessment sits alongside our consultation response. It is a written record that shows how we have taken care to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equal opportunities.

Brief outline of our rules and standards

Our professional standards set out the requirements we expect social workers to meet. They set out what a social worker in England must know, understand and do. Students who qualify to become social workers must be able to meet these standards when applying to join the register for the first time.

Our qualifying education and training standards set out the requirements that we expect social work education and training providers to meet. These standards will be used to assess, approve and reapprove courses in England and apply to all routes to becoming a qualified social worker.

Our rules outline what social workers can expect from us as the regulator of the profession. Our education and training rules set out the process for how we will approve and reapprove social work courses. They also set out how we will approve courses for people who wish to become an approved mental health professional or best interest assessor.

Our registration rules explain what we will need from social workers who register with us and how the registration processes will work. This includes the process for appeal against a registration decision. Our rules also set out the registration renewal period, requirements around continuing professional development (CPD),and how we collect fees.

Finally, our fitness to practise rules set out what will happen when someone raises a concern about a social worker.

Equality impact assessment

We are committed to monitoring and promoting equality across our organisation. We have reflected on the feedback from our consultation to assess both the positive and negative impacts that may arise as a result of our proposals.

In this section we address:

1. The professional standards alongside the registration and fitness to practise rules.
2. The qualifying education and training standards and rules.

Professional standards, registration and fitness to practise rules

As part of the equality impact assessment we found that social workers and the public from some protected characteristic groups could be impacted negatively. These impacts relate to:

• The effect that specific standards may have on a social worker’s registration and fitness to practise.
• Potential barriers to people raising a fitness to practise concern and participating in the fitness to practise process.

These areas are set out below along with the action we will take and any protected characteristic groups that could be affected.

Registration

Social workers with disabilities may feel that they are negatively affected during registration and renewal by having to declare a health condition. The test in the registration rules relates to possible impairment of fitness to practise by reason of health. Disability is not the test. Our guidance will make it clear that it is for the applicant to determine whether their health condition should be declared. We will not publish a list of health conditions that should or should not be declared.

Officers dealing with registration and renewal will be provided with training and guidance on the application of our rules. The registration rules will allow a social worker with a disability or health condition to be registered with conditions and continue to practise when it is safe for them to do so.

People who have limited English or English as a second language may be concerned that their opportunity to register as a social worker is reduced because of the requirement to demonstrate a good command of English.

The Social Workers Regulations 2018 set out that English language proficiency is a key element in safe and effective social work practice. The government’s Code of Practice: (English Language Requirements)f or Public Sector Workers also sets out the general requirement for people in front line, public facing roles to communicate effectively in English. Registrants can demonstrate language competence in different ways, including the International English Language Testing System test. Our rules will ensure that the existing registrants will be given time to bring their English language proficiency up to the required standard.

Social workers who are on maternity leave may feel that they are adversely affected by the requirement to demonstrate that they have met the CPD requirements. Officers evaluating CPD during registration renewal will be provided with training and guidance on the application of our rules. We will consult the public on our proposals for CPD, including how we may handle exceptional circumstances.

Fitness to practise

Social workers with disabilities may be concerned that they will be negatively affected by the fitness to practise process because of the requirement to declare anything that might affect their fitness to practise or ability to do their job competently.

Throughout the fitness to practise process, reasonable adjustments will be made to meet individual needs, and support will be provided to registrants, including signposting to support agencies.

At the triage stage, any health and accessibility requirements will be taken into account. We will consider whether a condition is being managed.

Accepted disposal outcomes will allow fitness to practise cases to be concluded without a hearing when the social worker accepts the facts and proposals made by the regulator.

During hearings, our rules will allow adjudicators to be flexible to meet people’s needs. Hearings will be conducted privately when health related issues are being considered. Hearing rooms will be fully accessible, and access support will be made available as appropriate.

Where disability prevents travel to Sheffield, we will consider holding hearings elsewhere or for people to present evidence by video link.

Social workers who have limited English or English as a second language may be concerned that they may be negatively affected by fitness to practise concerns being raised because of the requirement to demonstrate a good command of English.

As mentioned above, the Social Workers Regulations 2018 set out that English language proficiency is a key element in safe and effective social work practice. Registrants can demonstrate language competence in different ways, including the International English Language Testing System test. Our rules will ensure that existing registrants will be given time to bring their English language proficiency up to the required standard.

Older people may be concerned that they will be negatively affected by the fitness to practise rules which take account of a social worker’s previous fitness to practise history when making a decision. At the triage stage, fitness to practise processes will take account of individual circumstances when initially considering a fitness to practise concern.

Raising fitness to practise concerns

The online process for raising fitness to practise concerns has been designed to be easy to use. We recognise that some groups are more likely to be digitally excluded and unable to use the online process.

We will put in place alternative arrangements and support will be available to enable people to raise fitness to practise concerns offline.

Fitness to practise hearings

When fitness to practise hearings take place, there will be a requirement for witnesses and informants to attend hearings in Sheffield. Where disability prevents travel to Sheffield, options to hold hearings elsewhere or for people to present evidence by video link will be considered.

Hearing rooms will be fully accessible, and appropriate accessibility support will be made available to address individual needs.

Our approach to reasonable adjustments will ensure that we consider and address, as appropriate, individual needs, including communication.

Education and training standards

As part of the qualifying education and training standards, higher education institutions must involve people with lived experience of social work in the student admissions process and in the design, delivery and review of social work courses.

This will help students to gain a better understanding of the impact that social workers have on people’s lives. It will also mean that course content and outcomes are better aligned to meet the needs of people, including people from protected characteristic groups.

The standards require higher education institutions to provide support to people from protected characteristic groups. This includes educational and pastoral support; reasonable adjustments for students with health conditions or impairments; and courses designed in accordance with equality, diversity and inclusion principles and human rights frameworks.

As part of our rules to approve and reapprove social work courses, we will consider how well a higher education institution meets its equalities duties and how the organisation obtains feedback from a diverse group of students.

This will ensure that courses remain fit for purpose, and that students leave their education setting with the skills to become a practising social worker.

Our rules and standards are intended to have a positive impact by increasing public confidence in the social work profession. We have assessed that there are potential negative impacts on students from some protected characteristic groups. These impacts relate to:

• The impact that specific standards may have on a student’s admission onto a course.
• Potential barriers to students successfully completing all aspects of a course.

Admissions process

Some candidates may find it more difficult to demonstrate that they meet the admissions requirements as part of the assessment process due to health conditions or impairments, age or where English isn’t their first language.

All students admitted to a course must be able to demonstrate that they have the capability to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the professional standards and registration requirements upon qualifying.

Higher education institutions will need to ensure that there are equality and diversity policies in relation to applicants, and that they are monitored. The admissions process implemented by higher education institutions will be monitored by Social Work England as part of the approval and reapproval of courses.

Placement requirements

The requirement to spend 200 full days in practice may be more difficult to fulfil for students from some groups. Higher education institutions will need to make supportive and reasonable adjustments for students with health conditions or impairments, students who are pregnant, and students with caring responsibilities () to enable them to progress through their course and meet the professional standards, in accordance with relevant legislation.

They should also have clear policies in place in relation to pregnancy and maternity, in line with legal requirements. They will need to ensure that there are equality and diversity policies in relation to applicants, and that they are monitored (qualifying education and training standard 1.4). They will need to ensure that on placement, students have appropriate supervision and support.

Placements organised by higher education institutions will be monitored by Social Work England as part of the approval and reapproval of courses.

Sign off

This equality impact assessment has been undertaken and signed off in accordance with Social Work England’s responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

• Name: Nadine Pemberton
• Title: Executive Director, Legal, Social Work England
• Date approved: 31 July 2019