Three-quarters of social workers in England were yet to complete the registration renewal process with one month to go, the regulator has revealed.
Just under a quarter (25,394) of the 105,868 registrants who were on Social Work England's register before this year's renewal period started had completed the process as of 31 October 2025, a similar rate to last year.
To remain on the register, social workers must complete the renewal form, submit two pieces of continuing professional development - at least one of which must have been reflected upon with a peer - and pay the annual fee - now £120 - which most social workers do in two instalments.
While 36,163 practitioners (34.2%) had completed the form as of the end of October, 10,626 of them had not yet met the CPD requirements.
Progress on submitting CPD
Meanwhile, 28,379 (26.8%) had met all the CPD requirements and 6,883 (6.5%) had partially met them, leaving 70,606 (66.7%) who had not yet started this part of the process.
Commenting on this, Social Work England's executive director of regulation, Philip Hallam, said: “From the data, we can see that there are a number of social workers who have not yet met the continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.
"CPD is central to good social work. It helps social workers to deepen their knowledge, reflect on their practice, and deliver even better outcomes for the people and communities they support. It is also a requirement of maintaining registration."
Social workers who joined the register after the renewal period started, on 1 September, need only pay the annual fee, with 61.7% (1,129) of the 1,829 practitioners concerned having done so as of 31 October.
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