Make a change to a course

Published: 16 June 2026

This page is for education providers who are thinking about making a change to an approved course which would affect how the course meets our education and training standards.

We understand that some changes are unforeseen. If a change has already been made, please let us know as soon as possible by sending an email to education.qa@socialworkengland.org.uk.

How to make a request to change a course

If you want to request a change to an approved course, the first step is to contact the Education Quality Assurance team at education.qa@socialworkengland.org.uk.

You do not need to contact us if the change is minimal and will not affect how the course meets our standards. If you’re unsure, you should contact us for further guidance.

To help us assess your planned changes, please provide the following information:

• which course(s) the changes relate to
• a brief overview of the proposed change(s)
• when you intend to implement the change(s)
• what consultation you have undertaken
• whether the change(s) have been approved internally, or when that will happen

After you contact us about the changes

Once we receive the initial information, we will aim to get back to you within five working days.

If we decide that the changes to your course are extensive, we will advise that your change request will need to be dealt with as a new course approval.

If we can deal with your request as a course change, we may ask you to complete a change mapping form for the standards that are impacted and submit supporting evidence.

The officer leading this change will let you know what we need you to do.

If you want to look at the evidence mapping form in advance, you can find this in the resource section. You can also find guidance there to help you think about what evidence you could provide.

It is your responsibility to reflect on how the change will affect the course, and the effect it will have on how your course meets our education and training standards.

Your evidence should be based on which of our education and training standards you think will be affected by this change:

• Education and training standards
• Education and training standards for AMHP courses
• Education and training standards for BIA courses

We may consider your change request as:

• An administrative change - If the changes to your course are minimal, this may be reviewed by the education quality assurance team or an advisory inspector. If the change is accepted by an operations manager, you will be notified the officer leading on this. If the change is not accepted as administrative, the officer will contact you to advise on next steps.
• A documentary review - If the changes are more significant, this will be reviewed by inspectors who will review the evidence and make a recommendation which will require a regulatory decision. Inspectors can recommend that:
  • enough evidence has been provided to show that the course meets our standards
  • there is not enough evidence to show how the course meets our standards and an onsite inspection is needed
  • there is not enough evidence to show how the course meets our standards and additional evidence is needed

Timelines for a course change request will depend on how complex the change is, whether we need further evidence and whether the change is to be considered by inspectors. Where additional evidence is requested, we would advise you to submit this as promptly as possible. The officer leading the change process will keep you informed.