Children and Social Work Act 2017: Social work profession

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Part two of the act introduces a new system of regulation for social workers. A dedicated independent regulator of social workers, called Social Work England, will be created to protect the public, promote confidence in social workers and maintain professional standards.

It also paves the way for a new system of assessment and accreditation of social workers, determining standards of training and professional practice.

The regulator will maintain a register of social workers in England, and could be required to create a register of people training to become social workers. It could also be required to develop standards of conduct for registered students.

Social Work England will be a public body funded by, and accountable to, government. Ministers will have final say over the standards the regulator sets.

WHO DOES IT AFFECT?

All practicing children's social workers, and those with professional qualifications, will be covered by Social Work England when it replaces the Health and Care Professions Council as regulator for the sector.

It will play a significant role in many aspects of children's social workers' careers, including setting requirements for accessing training, determining the practice standards social workers should meet and assessing whether a practitioner is fit to practice.

The timetable for the transfer of powers from the HCPC to the new regulator is yet to be confirmed, although the government has said previously that it wants changes to be implemented by September 2018.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Dave Hill, executive director of adult social care and education at Essex County Council and immediate past-president of the Association of Director's of Children's Services, says creation of a dedicated social work regulator "has the potential to make a big difference".

"It is entirely reasonable for the government to set out what the standards [for social work practice and training] should be," says Hill. "If it is set up to uphold standards and be a regulator and disciplinary body, that's got real potential."

UNRESOLVED ISSUES

Hill says much is unknown about the level of power Social Work England will have. He would be concerned if its role extended to "driving up standards" of practice, "which is something principally for employers to do".

"We think the primary role of a local authority is to ensure social work practice is good," he says. "It's difficult to think of any initiative in social work, teaching or nursing where central government has been the driving force."

Andy Elvin, chief executive of The Adolescent and Children's Trust, says the move to accreditation and required training is welcome.

"For too long, social workers have been poorly served by not having a cohesive continuing professional development framework and the act appears to offer this," he says. "The quality and accreditation of this training will be a key test in the implementation of this act.

"Career-long oversight of the quality of the social work profession is to be welcomed and can only be good for the children and families we work with and for."