Independent review to assess effectiveness of Social Work England

Commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education, the review will examine how well Social Work England is fulfilling its statutory duties to uphold professional standards, maintain public confidence, and safeguard the public. It marks the first such review since the regulator’s establishment in 2019, as required under the Children and Social Work Act 2017.

The review will be led by Dame Annie Hudson (pictured), a respected social work lead with decades of experience, including as Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, Director of Children’s Services, and Chief Executive of the College of Social Work.

Announcing her appointment, Children and Families Minister Josh MacAlister said Dame Hudson was the right person to lead the review due to her “deep understanding of the social work profession.”

“Social workers play a vital role in supporting families, protecting vulnerable people and breaking down barriers to opportunity.

“This review will help ensure that Social Work England is effective and focused on making life better for those who rely on social work every day.”

Dame Hudosn said she was “honoured” to lead the review and emphasised the importance of ensuring the system of regulation is “strong, fair and forward-looking”. She added: “Social workers carry out some of the most complex and demanding work in our society, and the systems that regulate and support them must be strong, fair and forward-looking.

“I look forward to hearing from social workers, employers, educators and people with lived experience as we consider how Social Work England can best promote excellence and public confidence in the profession.”

The review will explore how effectively Social Work England is delivering against its three overarching objectives: protecting, promoting and maintaining the health, safety and wellbeing of the public; maintaining public confidence in social workers; and upholding proper professional standards. It will also assess the regulator’s governance, transparency, and collaboration with other social care bodies, as well as the exercise of the Secretary of State’s oversight and funding powers.

A key aim of the review is to identify opportunities for improvement to ensure that the regulation of social workers remains efficient, transparent, and fit for the future. Evidence will be gathered through a wide-ranging engagement programme running through autumn and winter 2025, involving social workers, employers, educators, professional bodies, and people with lived experience of social work.

The review comes at a critical time for the social work regulator, set against a backdrop of long fitness to practise delays and the unpopular announcement this Summer of a sharp rise in registration fees.
Read more about fitness to practice delays: https://www.socialworktoday.co.uk/News/organisations-call-on-social-work-england-to-resolve-fitness-to-practice-delays

Colum Conway, Chief Executive at Social Work England said: “We are now more than 5 years into operation, and this review comes at an important time for Social Work England. We continuously strive to make a positive impact by raising the standard of social work across England. As we prepare for our next strategic period, the feedback and recommendations from this review will help us plan for the future and strengthen our impact.”

The Call for Evidence has now opened, with submissions invited from across the sector until 26 November 2025. Responses will inform the review’s findings and recommendations, which are expected to be submitted to the government by spring 2026. The Department for Education has confirmed that the final report and the government’s response will be laid before Parliament.

Social Work England was established in 2019 as an independent regulator to oversee professional standards and education in social work. Since then, it has played a central role in maintaining accountability and ensuring quality across the profession. The review will consider whether its structures, functions, and approach to regulation continue to meet the needs of both practitioners and the public.

The Department for Education said the review forms part of its broader commitment to strengthening the social work profession, which includes funding programmes such as Step Up to Social Work and Approach Social Work, designed to recruit and train new entrants to the field. According to government data, the number of full-time equivalent child and family social workers employed by local authorities in England reached 34,300 in September 2024, the highest level since records began in 2017.