Be part of our National Advisory Forum

One of the ways we work with the social work sector is through our national advisory forum. The forum includes registered and practising social workers, people with lived experience of social work, education and training providers and social work students.

The role of the group is to act as a critical friend to Social Work England by bringing a wealth of lived and learned experience to the regulator, as well as acting as the main driver of co-production across the organisation and a means of embedding that in our ways of working.

This is a unique opportunity to get involved in social work regulation at an important time in our development. You will work with other people committed to raising standards and with an interest in social work.

Read more about the role of the National Advisory Forum.

Who can apply

We are currently recruiting for positions on the forum. We welcome applications from:

• practising social workers, and
• people with lived experience of social work.

Current members of the forum have completed a survey and we have identified characteristics and experiences where we have lower representation. Whilst we are not exclusively recruiting people with these characteristics and experience, we do particularly welcome applications from:

• People who are based in the northwest or eastern regions
• People from the LGBTQ+ community
• People of colour
• Independent social workers
• Social workers based in the private, voluntary or independent sector
• People with either lived or learned experience of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act or Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
• People with either lived or learned experience of forensic social work
• Social workers based in child protection and/ or family court settings

To be considered for this role, you must:

• be able to attend meetings 6 times a year (virtual attendance is an option)
• be willing to challenge and give constructive feedback
• be able to understand and reflect on information and ask questions
• be organised and have good time management skills
• be respectful of others
• be able to communicate with different people
• know about our role as the regulator
• be supportive of our goals and agree with our values

To find out more about the forum and its role, you can read the terms of reference and a summary of the first year of our work.

How to apply

To apply, please complete an expression of interest form and email it to Jack Harrison jack.harrison@socialworkengland.org.uk by midday on Monday 15 November 2021. We also accept and welcome video applications, and consider them equally alongside written applications. Unfortunately, we will not be able to give feedback at the application stage.

We are running 2 informal online drop-in sessions for people who are interested in submitting an application. These will take place on Thursday 4 November 9am until 10am and Thursday 11 November 12pm until 1pm. These sessions will give you a chance to speak with current members of the National Advisory Forum and members of our engagement team.

If you want to attend either of the sessions, speak to us about the role or need any help with your application, please contact jack.harrison@socialworkengland.org.uk 

If your application is successful

If your application is successful, we will invite you to a recruitment session on Wednesday 24 November 2021. There will also be a short informal interview on Thursday 25 November.

Both the recruitment session and interview will be held virtually. Please contact jack.harrison@socialworkengland.org.uk if you need support to attend a recruitment session.