Social workers from overrepresented groups are sharing their experiences of fitness to practise in a "safe space" to help Social Work England address disparities within the system.
The initiative is being piloted in the East of England, ahead of a potential national rollout, said the regulator's executive director of professional practice and external engagement, Sarah Blackmore.
Black, male and 40+ social workers overrepresented
Black social workers, men and practitioners aged over 40 are disproportionately represented at all stages of the fitness to practise process, according to Social Work England data. Its latest analysis showed that, from December 2019 to March 2024:
- Black practitioners accounted for 17% of registered social workers, 19% of fitness to practice referrals and 24% of cases referred to a hearing.
- Men accounted for 16% of social workers, 22% of referrals and 33% of cases referred to a hearing.
- Practitioners aged over 40 accounted for 64% of social workers, 65% of fitness to practise referrals and 77% of cases referred to a hearing.
Practitioners 'need safe space' to share experiences
Blackmore told Community Care that, through conversations with principal social workers (PSWs) and senior leaders, the regulator concluded that it would be "really useful to speak to some of the people who have been involved in the process and to get their thoughts and insights on what that was like and how we might work with them going forward".
She added: “There is a real need to have a safe space to enable people to share those views in a way that they feel safe and happy and comfortable to do so."
The regulator subsequently worked with local authorities in the East of England to set up a group for practitioners in the region from disproportionately represented groups to share their experiences.
Hearing from social workers 'will provide a lot of insight'
Speaking in early December, Blackmore said: "There’s been one meeting so far and that was very positive, and people really acknowledged the fact they were being asked for their views on their experiences and what we might do with that.
"I think it will give us a lot of insight that we don’t currently have and also a lot of ideas for how we might address this particular element of the equality, diversity and inclusion issues in the profession."
On the back of its latest analysis of diversity data, the regulator said it had worked with local authorities to produce fair referral principles in relation to fitness to practise, provided equality training to staff and revised internal guidance on equality and decision making.
Social Work England to further analyse diversity data
Following the release of the data, in November 2024, Social Work England also pledged to undertake a more detailed analysis of a sample of cases, "to gain a deeper understanding of what causes overrepresentation, and understand potential actions to address this".
It said it would combine this by repeating its broader analysis of fitness to practise and diversity data using "a more advanced method of statistical analysis" that would enable it to "consider multiple factors that may influence how a case progresses" through the FtP process.
However, it cautioned at the time that identifying and addressing the root causes of overrepresentation was "a challenging and complex area of work" that would take time.
Blackmore said Social Work England was currently looking at what further research it should do in this area, to inform its strategy for 2026 onwards.
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