Registration renewal and CPD progress report (6 February 2024)
Social workers must be on Social Work England’s register to practise legally. They must renew annually, so the public can be sure they continue to meet the professional standards and practise safely.
An overview of the registration and renewal period for 2022 to 2023
2/6/2024 12:00:00 PM
Each year, social workers in England must apply to renew their registration between 1 September and 30 November. Social workers must be on Social Work England’s register to practise legally. They must renew annually, so the public can be sure they continue to meet the professional standards and practise safely.
As part of the renewal process, social workers are reminded to use their online account to complete all 3 actions of the registration renewal process. They need to:
- submit their registration renewal application form
- pay their registration fee
- record a minimum of 2 different pieces of continuing professional development (CPD). They must include a peer reflection with at least one of these pieces of CPD
They must complete all of the above by 11:59pm (UK time) on 30 November.
About the social work register
| Social workers by registration date | Registration renewal period 2023 |
|---|---|
| Social workers by registration date Registered before 1 September (required to complete the 3 actions to renew their registration) | Registration renewal period 2023 100,842 |
| Social workers by registration date Joined or restored to the register since 1 September (only required to pay registration fee) | Registration renewal period 2023 2,482 |
Registration renewal following the close of renewals
Successful registration renewal
Social workers who renewed and were retained on the register at the end of the 2023 renewals period: 101,052 (97.8%).
97,382 (96.4%) have shared information on at least one of the categories within equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data. Social workers can share the following diversity data: ethnicity; disability; religion; gender registered at birth where different to current gender identity; and sexual orientation.
Of those that renewed and were retained on the register:
| Employment status | Social workers who renewed and were retained on the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) |
|---|---|
| Employment status Work in adults' services | Social workers who renewed and were retained on the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) 32,811 (34.8%) |
| Employment status Work in children’s services | Social workers who renewed and were retained on the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) 54,271 (57.5%) |
| Employment status Work in ‘other’ | Social workers who renewed and were retained on the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) 7,280 (7.7%) |
| Employment status Total | Social workers who renewed and were retained on the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) 94,362 |
Registration renewal removals
Of those that were removed from the register:
| Social workers’ registration renewal status | Registration renewal period 2023 |
|---|---|
| Social workers’ registration renewal status Removed from the register | Registration renewal period 2023 2,263 |
| Social workers’ registration renewal status Removed from the register after requesting voluntary removal | Registration renewal period 2023 1,371 |
Of those that were removed from the register:
| Employment status | Social workers who were removed from the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) |
|---|---|
| Employment status Work in adults' services | Social workers who were removed from the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) 552 (31.4%) |
| Employment status Work in children’s services | Social workers who were removed from the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) 1,002 (57.1%) |
| Employment status Work in ‘other’ | Social workers who were removed from the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) 201 (11.5%) |
| Employment status Total | Social workers who were removed from the register (for social workers that we have known employment data for) 1,755 |
Of those that were removed from the register:
| Reasons social workers were removed from the register | Renewal period 2023 |
|---|---|
| Reasons social workers were removed from the register Removed because they did not complete a combination of the 3 actions | Renewal period 2023 1,702 (75.2%) |
| Reasons social workers were removed from the register Removed because they did not submit a completed renewal form | Renewal period 2023 412 (18.2%) |
| Reasons social workers were removed from the register Removed because they did not meet CPD requirements | Renewal period 2023 122 (5.4%) |
| Reasons social workers were removed from the register Removed because they did not pay the renewal fee | Renewal period 2023 1 (0.0%) |
| Reasons social workers were removed from the register Removed because they did not pay the renewal fee since joining the register from 1 September | Renewal period 2023 26 (1.1%) |
| Reasons social workers were removed from the register Total | Renewal period 2023 2,263 |
Of those 412 social workers that were removed because they did not submit a completed form, 221 (53.6%) did not start a renewal form until 28, 29 or 30 November. 115 social workers were still finishing their renewal form on 30 November.
Of those that were removed from the register:
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region | Renewal period 2023 |
|---|---|
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region Unknown | Renewal period 2023 517 (22.8%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region East Midlands | Renewal period 2023 129 (5.7%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region Eastern | Renewal period 2023 158 (7.0%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region London | Renewal period 2023 352 (15.6%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region North East | Renewal period 2023 108 (4.8%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region North West | Renewal period 2023 257 (11.4%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region Northern Ireland | Renewal period 2023 1 (0.0%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region Scotland | Renewal period 2023 9 (0.4%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region South East | Renewal period 2023 233 (10.3%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region South West | Renewal period 2023 134 (5.9%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region Wales | Renewal period 2023 23 (1.0%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region West Midlands | Renewal period 2023 184 (8.1%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region Yorkshire and the Humber | Renewal period 2023 158 (7.0%) |
| Social workers removed from the register by employment region Total | Renewal period 2023 2,263 (100%) |
Registration restorations
Social workers who have requested their registration status to be restored, since the end of the registration renewal period (30 November 2023): 520
An update from Social Work England
Philip Hallam, Executive Director of Regulation said:
“We’re pleased to be able to show that the final numbers reported here continue to present a positive picture of the registration and renewal period for 2022 to 2023.
The social work register is bigger than it has ever been at this point in time, and we want to thank all of those social workers who actively engaged with the process. The reduction in the number of social workers who applied for restoration to the register is also a good indicator that more people met the requirements before the 30 November deadline.
As we can see from the data, the majority of social workers who dropped off the register did so because they didn’t submit a completed form. Completing the form is important, as it gives us the confidence that the register is up to date and accurate. It also helps us to understand if there are any barriers to a social worker’s ability to practice safely and effectively.
As we approached the 30 November deadline, there were still a number of social workers who left recording CPD and renewing their registration until the very last minute. Taking those important steps to record CPD and renew earlier means that social workers have sufficient time to get in touch with us if they are to come across any unforeseen problems. We continue to encourage all social workers record CPD throughout the year.
There are a variety of resources available to social workers on our website to help with recording CPD, as well as numerous events which take place throughout the year. Social Work Week 2024, which takes place from 18 to 22 March, is a great opportunity to learn and can be recorded as CPD. I encourage you to take a look at the programme and book tickets for any sessions which spark your interest.
On a final note, our independent assessors have now started the CPD review. Social workers who have been selected for review have been notified, and we will publish the findings at its conclusion in the spring.”