The Department for Education (DfE) has appointed Annie Hudson, former chief executive of The College of Social Work and ex-chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, to lead the review, and today launched a call for evidence to inform her work, which will conclude in spring next year.
The review is required by section 64 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, the legislation that created Social Work England and determined its functions and remit.
Examining whether regulation of profession is fit for purpose
In a parliamentary statement announcing the review, children's minister Josh MacAlister said it would examine whether the "regulation of social work is fit for purpose and continues to benefit both the professionals it oversees and the individuals it aims to protect".
He said its primary purpose would be to assess how well Social Work England is carrying out its statutory functions and delivering on its objectives to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of the public and to promote and maintain public confidence in, and proper professional standards for, social workers in England.
- Assess the education secretary's delivery of the act's powers in relation to the oversight and funding of Social Work England and other central government functions.
- Explore whether changes and improvements could be made to Social Work England and the education secretary's functions and operations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of social work regulation and standards of practice.
Review comes at critical time for regulator
The review comes at a critical time for Social Work England, which is wrestling with the impact of a significant rise in fitness to practise referrals against a backdrop of already long delays in resolving cases and the fallout from its 33% rise in practitioner fees, which has faced significant opposition from the profession.
As it approaches the end of its sixth year in operation, it has recently carried out a series of roadshows to gather views from practitioners, those with lived experience, academics and students on its future direction, including in relation to fitness to practise, continuing professional development and its oversight of social work education.
Following the announcement of the review, chief executive Colum Conway said: "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.”
Social work regulation 'must be strong, fair and forward-looking'
Hudson said she was honoured to lead the review, adding: "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.”
She will be supported by a review team and an expert reference group.
Regarding the call for evidence, she added: “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.”
Call for evidence
The survey covers respondents' confidence in the regulator, views on the registration process, including CPD requirements, and fitness to practice, and opinions about social work training, including how well they were prepared to enter practice.
You can answer the survey online or respond by emailing Socialworkregulation.REVIEW@education.gov.uk, by the deadline of 26 November 2025.
Celebrate those who've inspired you
Do you have a colleague, mentor, or social work figure you can't help but gush about?
Our My Brilliant Colleague series invites you to celebrate anyone within social work who has inspired you – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.
Nominate your colleague or inspiration by filling in our nominations form with a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.
*Please note that, despite the need to provide your name and role, you or the nominee can be anonymous in the published entry*
If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com
