More social workers in England renewed their registration than last year, following last night’s deadline, meaning less than 3,000 are set to be removed.
Provisional data from Social Work England shows that, out of 96,948 practitioners needing to renew, just 2,869 (3%) failed to do so, compared to 4,590 last year and lower than the 4,000 to 6,000 leaving the register annually in recent years.
The regulator said 93,253 (96%) completed their renewal applications, compared to 91,720 last year. Another 826 have applied and paid their fee, but have not submitted the required piece of continuing professional development (CPD), down from 1,349 last year. They have until 21 December to submit their CPD or else face removal too.
Social Work England will now email all practitioners who have applied to renew to confirm their registration status. It has published information on what happens next on its website.
Late surge
A week ago, more than a fifth of the 96,948 social workers required to renew had yet to do so, with one in nine having still not completed their applications two days before the deadline.
This mirrors a last-ditch surge from last year, when almost 20% of practitioners (18,000) completed the process in the five days before the deadline.
Social Work England said it was pleased with the final number of renewals and thanked social workers for making time to apply and share their CPD.
Philip Hallam, executive director of registration, education quality assurance and legal at the regulator, said registration was important for members of the public with whom practitioners worked.
“Registration is a legal requirement for social workers as it is for other professions, such as midwives, doctors, and dentists,” he said.
“The process of registration renewal helps members of the public, and in particular those with a social worker in their life, be reassured that social workers continue to meet the professional standards, and are capable of safe and effective practise.
“As communities face new challenges every day, it is vital that social workers continue to maintain their registration to ensure they can support those with whom they work.”
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Now appraise us on the quality of CPD reflections and what their direct contribution to raising standards and protecting the public are. Otherwise its just frantic flailing to meet a deadline and nothing more.
Philip Hallam. Well you would say that wouldn’t you? The reality is more like HMG have a deep seated dislike of social workers, exhibiting deep seated paranoia re the profession and will pile on as much pressure via SWE to get rid of asany of us as they possibly can.
I have to confess that every time my DD goes out of the bank to SWE I feel like I have been mugged. I certainly don’t see any value for my [hard earned] money.
As for making the public and SU’s feel more reassured in the safe and effective practice. Who does the boy think he’s kidding. The SU’d I come across couldn’t give a knats fig about social workers being registered. My experience is that SU’s and their carers are more evidence based than Mr Hallum gives them credit.
I’d guess that Mr Hallum really hasn’t got a clue about what social workers – be that in children’s or adult services – really do.
Perhaps needs to shadow some of us at the sharp end. It just may open his eyes to reality.
I completed mine the day before in my own time I think it is important my manager thinks it is important but until SW are guaranteed space to complete it properly it will be a farce
Fantastic. Now let them actually do some social work.
Registration and regulation isn’t about social work, it’s about a pretence of competent oversight of a “profession”. No definition, no nuance, no vision, just a confused obsession with the “register”. A million social workers in front of computer screens is precisely this: bureaucrats. Tell us how social work is done in England these days.
We save people. That’s how social work is done in England these days. Own it with pride. If you can’t leave it to the rest of us crow about it.
A crow is an scavenger. If you are happy to feast on the fuscarded scraps of real professions than you’ve hit the jackpot. As for the saviour complex, Chloe has you lot to a tee.
“We save people”. Well ofcourse. The RNLI delusion of the home worker.