Government defends Social Work England fee rises as providing regulator with 'stable funding'

The government has defended Social Work England's 33% increase in the fees it levies on practitioners after the issue was raised in Parliament by a Labour MP.

Rosena Allin-Khan asked ministers what assessment they had made of the impact of the fee rises on practitioners and whether they had taken steps to support social workers in the context of the increases in levies.

In response, Janet Daby, the then children's minister, who shortly afterwards left the government, endorsed Social Work England's reasoning for the increases: that fees had been static since 2015 and that the increases were required to better balance its income from social workers and from the Department for Education (DfE), respectively.

Fee rises 'will ensure stable funding for regulator'

"Registration and renewal fees have not increased since 2015, and whilst we appreciate that many people, social workers included, may be experiencing financial difficulties, the decision to increase fees brings the fee in line with inflation and better balances the relationship between grant-in-aid and fee income," said Daby, herself a former social worker.

"This will ensure a balanced and stable funding base to fulfil Social Work England's regulatory responsibilities to protect and serve the public."

As a result of the fee rises, the proportion of the regulator's income that comes from fees is likely to rise from 38% to 40% this year, with the remainder coming from DfE grant.

The government's defense of the fee increases is not surprising: the endorsement of education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, was a requirement for the necessary changes to Social Work England's rules to go through.

BASW and unions urging MPs to question government on fees

However, it comes with the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), Social Workers Union (SWU) and UNISON seeking to lobby the government on the fee rises and their impact on practitioners through Parliament.

In a joint statement published last week, the three organisations urged MPs to question government on the rationale behind the fee increases and the fact that Social Work England had decided to proceed with it despite overwhelming opposition from consultation respondents, the majority of whom were social workers.

They also urged their many thousands of social worker members to write to their MPs, asking them to raise the fee rises with Phillipson and prime minister Keir Starmer.

Social Work England watchdog's remit does not cover fees

BASW, SWU and UNISON have also urged the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), which oversees Social Work England's work, to "review both the process and outcome of Social Work England’s consultation and assess whether the regulator has fulfilled its statutory duties with the necessary levels of transparency, accountability, and proportionality".

However, the PSA said that though looking at how Social Work England consulted with its stakeholders was within its remit, it had no powers in relation to regulators' fees.

BASW, SWU and UNISON also called for an independent review into Social Work England required by law to be carried out immediately.

Impending review of regulator

The government-commissioned review, which will cover the operation of the regulator over its first five years (December 2019 to December 2024), looks set to happen shortly.

At its May 2025 board meeting, Social Work England chief executive Colum Conway said the regulator was preparing for the independent review and that the DfE was “assembling a review team and working to secure a lead reviewer”.