Social Work England Fitness to Practise: Complete Guide for Social Workers
How Social Work England handles concerns about social workers in England. This guide covers the legal grounds, the triage test, what employers should and should not refer, and every stage from notice to case examiners, accepted disposal and a hearing. It also explains the 2025-26 numbers, why cases take so long, the sanctions (including suspensions of up to three years), appeals, two High Court cases, the professional standards and CPD rules, the July 2026 government review and the support available.
Reviewed October 2026 against the Social Workers Regulations 2018, Social Work England's triage, sanctions, interim order and consensual disposal guidance, its annual report 2025-26, the PSA's review for 2025, the government response to the independent review (July 2026) and High Court judgments
Short answer: Social Work England fitness to practise is the process the regulator uses to decide whether a registered social worker in England can practise safely and professionally. It received 2,670 concerns in 2025-26, and 85% of triage decisions closed the case with no further action. Cases that pass the triage test are investigated and then go to two case examiners. They can close the case, offer an "accepted disposal" that you agree to without a hearing, or refer it to independent adjudicators. Sanctions range from advice and a warning to conditions or suspension, each for up to three years, and removal from the register. In 2025-26, 49 social workers were removed. Cases are slow: the median from receipt of a concern to a hearing outcome was 232 weeks.
Key takeaways
- Most concerns come from members of the public, often from families involved in child protection or court proceedings. A complaint about a reasonable decision, properly made, is not in itself a fitness to practise concern.
- You will normally be told about a concern within 14 days, and you must give your employment details within 7 days.
- Accepted disposal is used far more than at most regulators: a third of case examiner decisions in 2025-26, including 14 removals by agreement. Never accept one without advice.
- Suspension and conditions can each last up to three years at a time, longer than at most health regulators. The government has accepted in principle a two-year limit on suspension.
- Hearing details and the allegations are published on the regulator's website at least two weeks before a hearing.
This guide covers Social Work England only. For how all UK regulators compare, see our complete guide to fitness to practise in the UK.
The defining issue: time
If you are a social worker facing a concern, the most important practical fact is how long it may last. Social Work England's own figures show cases getting slower at most stages, even as it closes more of them.
Source: Social Work England annual report and accounts 2025-26 (HC 398, July 2026).
The picture is not all bad. Median investigation time fell from 66 weeks to 49 weeks over two years, beating the 54-week target. The hearings backlog of 403 was well below the 555 the regulator had forecast. Interim orders are dealt with quickly: the median time to approve one has stayed at 18 working days for three years.
The Professional Standards Authority found that Social Work England did not meet its standard on timely fitness to practise cases in 2025. It pointed to rising referrals and difficulty obtaining restricted information. That second point is specific to social work: many concerns arise from family court and child protection work, where key evidence sits in confidential court proceedings. The government has accepted in principle a law change to let that information be shared with the regulator.
What a long case means for you
- Plan for the long term. Keep your registration, CPD and declarations up to date throughout. A lapsed registration is a separate problem you do not need.
- Use the time. Remediation you can evidence over months or years carries far more weight than a burst of certificates before a hearing.
- Challenge drift. Courts expect regulators to pursue cases with vigour. In one 2025 case, described below, the High Court refused to extend an interim suspension as long as the regulator asked because of avoidable delay.
Who Social Work England regulates
Social Work England regulates social workers in England only. More than 104,000 social workers renewed their registration in 2025-26. It does not register social work students. Universities run their own fitness to practise processes for students, and Social Work England approves the courses. Newly qualified social workers on the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) are fully registered and fully within the process.
| If you practise in | Your regulator | Note |
|---|---|---|
| England | Social Work England | This guide |
| Scotland | Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) | Also regulates the wider social care workforce. See our SSSC guide |
| Wales | Social Care Wales | Separate register and code |
| Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) | Separate register and standards |
A removal or suspension by Social Work England prohibits you from practising as a social worker in England. A finding against you by another regulator, in the UK or abroad, is itself a ground for a Social Work England investigation.
The legal grounds
Regulation 25(2) of the Social Workers Regulations 2018 lists the grounds on which your fitness to practise can be impaired:
Matters that happened outside the UK, or before you were registered, can be considered where the regulator thinks it is in the public interest.
Who raises concerns and the triage test
Bars show stages, not scale. Source: Social Work England annual report 2025-26. Counts are decisions in the year, so a case can appear at different stages in different years.
Where the source was recorded, 72% of concerns came from members of the public, up from 66%, and about 14% from employers. Many public concerns come from people who disagree with decisions about their family. Social Work England's triage guidance addresses this directly: "A complaint about the impact of a reasonable decision, properly arrived at, does not of itself amount to a concern."
At triage the regulator asks two questions: whether there are reasonable grounds to investigate, and whether the concern suggests current impairment, "today and looking forward". Examples the guidance gives of concerns unlikely to proceed include:
- minor personal matters "completely unconnected" with your practice, such as a dispute between neighbours
- minor record-keeping issues, such as recording annual leave, with no evidence of dishonesty
- a claim that a family court report was dishonest, based only on the other party's disagreement, where the opinion was reasonable and the court accepted it
- concerns another body has already properly investigated without finding evidence
- old, vague concerns where the person raising them is the only source of evidence
There is no fixed time limit, but "the older the concern, the more an absence of other adverse information may weigh towards closure". Where an employer is already dealing with a concern locally, Social Work England can defer its decision until the local process ends. It can also defer for up to three months to allow remediation where there is no current risk and no public interest issue.
When employers should and should not refer
Social Work England's guidance for employers expects most concerns to be dealt with locally first. "In most cases, you should conduct your own internal investigation before making a referral to us." But serious concerns should be referred immediately.
- Dishonesty, including about visits or records
- Exploitation of vulnerable people
- Serious breaches of confidentiality
- Violence or sexual misconduct
- Breaching professional boundaries with a child
- Criminal charges, convictions or cautions
- Resigning during an investigation with no remediation
- Persistent lateness
- Personality conflicts
- Most contractual or policy breaches
- Difficulty using a case recording system where an improvement plan is in place
- Managed ill-health absence with a support plan
- An agency placement ended for lateness
Summarised from Social Work England's guidance for employers.
Employers are also told to consider their duties under the Equality Act 2010 before referring, and the regulator has adopted fair referral principles. If you think a referral about you was disproportionate, your response can say so, with evidence, but focus mainly on the substance of the concern. If you resign before a local process ends, the guidance treats that as a reason for the employer to refer.
Is the process fair to everyone?
Social Work England has published its own diversity analysis. Its update of 2 October 2024 found that social workers aged 40 and over, men, and Black, African, Caribbean or Black British social workers were over-represented in referrals and in cases sent to a hearing. They were also more likely to progress from triage to investigation and from case examiners to a hearing, and this was "mostly still present" with an extra year of data. Working in children's services did not explain the pattern. Social Work England has since adopted fair referral principles for employers, and the PSA praised its equality, diversity and inclusion work in its review for 2025. If you believe bias played a part in a referral, you can raise it, ideally with your union's help.
What you must tell Social Work England yourself
You do not have to wait for someone else to raise a concern. If something changes that affects your fitness to practise, Social Work England says "you will need to tell us about it", using the self-referral form for that category. You must self-refer:
Criminal matters
"Convictions, cautions, penalty notices or being investigated for a criminal offence." You need to tell the regulator about an investigation, not just an outcome.
Other regulators and bodies
A finding by another professional or regulatory body that your fitness to practise is impaired, including outside social work.
Disciplinary proceedings at work
"Any disciplinary proceedings at work that could affect your fitness to practise", and their outcome.
Health
Only if your condition affects, or could affect, your ability to practise safely and effectively, and you do not have arrangements in place to manage it.
Barring
Being barred from working with children or vulnerable adults.
Anything else
Any other matter that may impair your fitness to practise, using the "other declarations" form.
Self-referring promptly, with context and evidence of what you have done about it, puts you in a far stronger position than the regulator hearing first from your employer or the police. Our guide to self-referral explains how to write one, and our guide to failure to disclose explains the risk of staying silent.
How a Social Work England case moves
- 1
Notice
If a concern passes triage, you are told "within 14 calendar days" and sent the information received. You must give your employment details within 7 calendar days. Your employer is told about the investigation. For health concerns, details are not shared with your employer unless they raised the concern.
- 2
Investigation
Investigators gather evidence from your employer, the referrer and records, and invite your response. Nothing is published at this stage unless an interim order is needed.
- 3
Case examiners
They apply the realistic prospect test: whether there is a realistic prospect of adjudicators finding impairment at a hearing. If not, they close the case with no further action, advice or a warning. If so, they refer it to a hearing or propose an accepted disposal.
- 4
Hearing
Independent adjudicators decide whether you are, or were, impaired, and any sanction. The hearing details and allegations are published at least two weeks beforehand. See our guide to fitness to practise hearings.
- 5
Case review
If you receive a suspension or conditions, your case passes to the case review team, and the order is reviewed before it expires.
What case examiners decided in 2025-26
257 case examiner decisions, Social Work England annual report 2025-26.
The 82 accepted disposals were 38 warnings, 14 conditions of practice, 14 suspensions, 14 removals and 2 advice. Our guide to writing your response explains how to put your account to case examiners.
Accepted disposal and adjudicator consensual disposal
Social Work England offers two ways to end a case by agreement. Both require you to accept that your fitness to practise is impaired, so both should only be considered with advice from your union or a lawyer.
Accepted disposal
Case examiners can propose an outcome, from no further action to removal. You get "at least 14 calendar days, but no more than 28 calendar days" to consider and comment. If you agree, the case closes and the decision is published. If you dispute impairment or reject the sanction, the case goes to a hearing.
Adjudicator consensual disposal
Introduced in April 2026. Once all evidence has been gathered and you have the draft statement of case, you can ask for it. You must admit the key facts and that your fitness to practise is "currently impaired". If you sign the agreement, adjudicators decide whether to accept it, and they keep "their full powers including their full range of sanctions".
Agreeing an outcome can save years of uncertainty and avoid a public hearing. But the decision is published, a removal by agreement is still a removal, and accepting impairment cannot easily be undone. Our guide to warnings and agreed outcomes explains how to weigh an offer.
Voluntary removal if you are leaving social work
A third route exists for social workers who have stopped practising and do not intend to return. "A social worker can apply for voluntary removal at any time during the fitness to practise process." Social Work England decides, weighing your reasons against "whether there is public interest in the fitness to practise process continuing to its conclusion". If there is no such public interest, approval is likely and the case ends. If it is refused, the case carries on, and repeat applications are usually rejected without new information. If you later apply to be restored, "we will take the voluntary removal into account". Take union or legal advice first: where there is a public interest in your case being heard, the application is likely to be refused.
Interim orders
If there is a risk to the public, to you, or both, adjudicators can impose an interim suspension or conditions while the case continues. The guidance says "It is enough to impose an interim order if there is a risk posed", unless the risk is wholly fanciful. You must be given notice and the chance to make submissions or attend. An interim order can last up to 18 months and is reviewed every six months, with early reviews possible if new evidence emerges. Social Work England must apply to the High Court to extend it.
You can appeal an interim order, or a decision not to revoke or vary one, to the High Court within 28 days, starting the day after you receive the decision. The order applies immediately, even if you appeal. See our guide to interim and substantive suspension.
Inside a final hearing
Social Work England is responsible for proving the facts. A final hearing follows set stages:
- Allegations. Each allegation is read out, and you admit or deny it.
- Facts. Social Work England presents its witnesses, who usually adopt their written statements. You or your representative cross-examine them and should put your version of events to them. You then give evidence and can call your own witnesses. The adjudicators decide privately and give a written decision.
- Grounds and impairment. If any facts are proved, the adjudicators decide whether they amount to a statutory ground, such as misconduct, and whether your fitness to practise is currently impaired. This is where evidence of insight and remediation matters most.
- Sanction. Social Work England proposes the least restrictive sanction that would protect the public, and you can respond.
- Interim order for the appeal period. If a restrictive sanction is imposed, the adjudicators consider whether an interim order is needed to cover the 28-day appeal period.
Before the hearing you receive a final statement of case and bundles of witness statements, exhibits and your response. An independent legal adviser advises the adjudicators on law and procedure but does not take part in decisions. If you represent yourself, they can explain the procedure and help you phrase questions, but cannot act for you. Vulnerable witnesses can give evidence with special measures, and questions that are irrelevant or confrontational will be stopped.
Hearing outcomes, sanctions and appeals
In 2025-26 adjudicators decided 90 hearings and found impairment in 61. The outcomes where impairment was found:
Source: Social Work England annual report 2025-26. In the 29 hearings with no impairment, 26 ended with no further action, 1 with advice and 2 with a warning.
Removal is the most common outcome once a case reaches a hearing and impairment is found. The sanctions available under Schedule 2 of the Regulations and the impairment and sanctions guidance are:
Advice or warning
A warning order stays on the public register for 1, 3 or 5 years, starting at 1 year.
Conditions of practice
Up to 3 years at a time, reviewed before expiry.
Suspension
Up to 3 years at a time, reviewed before expiry.
Removal
A permanent record. You can apply to be restored after 5 years.
Removal cannot be ordered for impairment caused by health, lack of competence or capability, or lack of English unless you have been suspended or under conditions for a continuous period of two years immediately before. The guidance says removal "must be made" where nothing less would protect the public, maintain confidence or uphold standards. Conditions are less likely to be suitable for dishonesty, sexual misconduct, violence, abuse of trust or discrimination, because these are attitudinal rather than skills problems. At a suspension review, adjudicators expect to see improvement, and removal can follow if there is none.
Decisions where impairment is found, and accepted disposals, are published. Health decisions do not name the condition. A decision of no impairment is published for one month. You can appeal a final order to the High Court within 28 days, starting the day after you are notified, and the order does not take effect until the appeal period ends or any appeal is decided. The Professional Standards Authority can also appeal a decision it considers insufficient to protect the public.
Two High Court cases every social worker should know
Professional Standards Authority v Social Work England [2023] EWHC 926 (Admin)
What happened. A social worker attended a home visit under the influence of alcohol. She later resigned and was placed on the DBS barred lists. Adjudicators found her fitness to practise impaired on health grounds and because of the barring, and imposed a two-year suspension. Misconduct was never charged. The PSA appealed, arguing the sanction was too lenient.
The outcome. On 25 April 2023, Mr Justice Garnham held that the case had been "undercharged": misconduct could and should have been alleged. He was minded to quash the decision and send it back for a differently constituted panel. He also recognised "a public interest in rehabilitating social workers with chronic ill-health or disability".
The lesson: an outcome that seems favourable can be reopened. The PSA scrutinises Social Work England decisions and can take them to court. How allegations are framed shapes the available sanctions, so take advice on the allegations themselves, not just on your response.
Social Work England v Nyamapfene [2025] EWHC 3389 (Admin)
What happened. A newly qualified social worker on the ASYE programme was referred in 2022 over concerns about competence, honesty, risk management and her health. She was placed under interim suspension in October 2022, and the order had already been extended once. Delays followed, including slow chasing of medical records and an investigator leaving. Social Work England asked the court for a further 18-month extension.
The outcome. The judge granted 14 months, not 18, describing it as "really a final extension". Applying the Court of Appeal's test in GMC v Hiew, he held that prejudice to the social worker can outweigh the public interest where proceedings have not been pursued "with the vigour that should be expected".
The lesson: interim orders are not open-ended. If your case has drifted, the delay itself is a legitimate point to raise at every review and extension application.
More real decisions are in our fitness to practise case studies.
Where social workers get into difficulty
Records and visits
Standard 3.11 requires "clear, accurate, legible and up to date records, documenting how I arrive at my decisions". Recording a visit that did not happen is dishonesty, and employers are told to refer it. See our guide to records and probity.
Boundaries
Breaching professional boundaries with a child is one of the examples employers are told to refer, and inappropriate relationships with people you support are treated seriously. See our guide to professional boundaries.
Dishonesty
Dishonesty about visits, records or your own circumstances is a character concern, so conditions are less likely to be suitable. See our guide to dishonesty allegations.
Conduct outside work
Drink-driving, violence and offensive social media posts can all reach the regulator. Standard 5 requires you to act "safely, respectfully and with professional integrity", and decision makers consider whether conduct outside work affects public confidence in social work.
Confidentiality and gifts
Serious confidentiality breaches are a listed reason to refer. Standard 5.4 says you must not ask for or accept "any money, gifts or hospitality which may affect or appear to affect" your judgement.
Health and wellbeing
Health is a ground only where it affects safe practice, and removal is not available on health alone without two years under restriction. See our guide to health and fitness to practise.
The six professional standards
Social Work England's professional standards took effect on 2 December 2019. Every concern is judged against them. As a social worker, you must:
- promote the rights, strengths and wellbeing of people, families and communities
- establish and maintain the trust and confidence of people
- be accountable for the quality of your practice and the decisions you make
- maintain your continuing professional development
- act safely, respectfully and with professional integrity
- promote ethical practice and report concerns
Standard 2.1 sums up what decision makers look for in almost every case: "Be open, honest, reliable and fair." Standard 6 also places a duty on you to report concerns about others, which matters if you saw a problem and stayed silent. Our guides to candour and conflicts of interest cover two of the most tested areas.
Related courseSocial Work Professional Standards: applying the six standards→Renewal and CPD
You must renew your registration between 1 September and 30 November every year. "If you do not complete and submit your application by 11.59pm (UK time) on 30 November, your registration will lapse." To renew, you must record at least two different pieces of CPD, one of which must include a peer reflection. In 2025-26, 97.6% of social workers renewed and submitted the required CPD.
For the registration year ending 30 November 2026, Social Work England will review a sample of up to 3% of CPD records. The PSA found it did not meet the CPD standard in 2025 because it had paused reviewing records without an interim system. A lapsed registration is not a fitness to practise finding, but practising while unregistered, or falsely claiming to be registered, is a separate problem: regulation 29 says "A person must not falsely represent themselves to be a registered social worker." Good reflection also helps your case: see our guide to reflective accounts.
What is changing: the 2026 review
The government appointed Dame Annie Hudson to lead an independent review of social work professional regulation in England.
The PSA's review for 2025 found Social Work England met 16 of 18 standards, missing the standards on CPD and on timely fitness to practise.
Adjudicator consensual disposal began. Social Work England also adopted two-person panels as standard and a new decision-making framework for case examiners.
The government published the review and its response, accepting that "sustained improvement is needed".
The government's response matters for anyone in the process now or soon:
- Improvement plan. Social Work England must produce "an externally supported, end-to-end fitness to practise strategic improvement plan" within six months, with timeliness targets that the Department for Education will monitor (recommendation 8).
- Law changes accepted in principle (recommendation 9): sharing information from private family court proceedings, accepted disposals where a social worker has not engaged, a PSA power to ask for case examiner decisions to be revised, and "limiting the upper time a social worker can be suspended to two years".
- Referral routes. The government will consider whether some concerns would be better dealt with through local complaints processes first (recommendation 10). It will also work with employers on clearer standards for referrals (recommendation 17).
- Communication. It calls for regular updates and "clearer, more regular and more compassionate communication" with people under investigation (recommendation 11).
These changes need further legal work and, for some, new legislation. Until then, the current Regulations and guidance apply.
Support during a case
Fitness to Practise Support Service
An independent, confidential service run by Wellbeing Solutions, available by phone 24 hours a day, with person-operated live chat from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday. It offers emotional support, not advice on your case. Ask your named contact or check Social Work England's support page for the number.
Your union or professional association
Contact your union or a professional association such as BASW as soon as you hear from the regulator, and before you respond. For questions about the process, Social Work England's enquiries line is 0114 349 4308.
Social Work England keeps information about your health and wellbeing confidential, and talks to you before sharing it with a support organisation. If you are in crisis at any point, Samaritans answers 24 hours a day on 116 123.
If Social Work England has contacted you
- Send your employment details within 7 days, as the notice asks. It is a simple step and shows engagement from the start.
- Get union or legal advice before you write anything about the concern itself.
- Gather your own evidence early: supervision notes, case records, emails and the decision-making trail. Do not alter records.
- If the concern comes from a family you worked with, show how your decision was reasoned, recorded and supervised. A reasonable decision, properly made, is not misconduct.
- Start remediation you can evidence over time: reflective pieces, supervision, targeted training and feedback from managers.
- Keep renewing and recording CPD every year while the case continues.
- Treat any accepted disposal offer seriously, and never accept or reject one without advice.
Our guides to insight and evidence of remediation explain what adjudicators look for, and our guide to how long remediation takes helps you plan.
Frequently asked questions
How many social workers are struck off each year?
In 2025-26, 49 social workers received removal orders: 35 at a hearing and 14 through accepted disposal at case examiner stage.
How long does a Social Work England investigation take?
In Q4 2025-26 the median investigation took 49 weeks. From receipt of a concern, the median was 148 weeks to a case examiner outcome and 232 weeks to a hearing outcome.
Will Social Work England investigate a complaint from a family?
Only if the triage test is met. A complaint about the impact of a reasonable decision, properly arrived at, is not in itself a fitness to practise concern. In 2025-26, 85% of triage decisions closed the case.
What is the triage test?
Whether there are reasonable grounds to investigate, and whether the concern suggests your fitness to practise is currently impaired, looking forward.
Will my employer be told?
Yes. Your employer is told about the investigation and its outcome. For health concerns, details are not shared unless your employer raised the concern.
What is accepted disposal?
An outcome proposed by case examiners, from no further action to removal, that you can accept without a hearing. You have 14 to 28 days to respond. You must accept impairment, and the decision is published.
What is adjudicator consensual disposal?
A process introduced in April 2026 for cases already referred to a hearing. If you admit the key facts and current impairment and agree a sanction, adjudicators can approve it without a full hearing.
How long can a social worker be suspended?
Up to three years at a time, reviewed before it ends. The government has accepted in principle a change to limit suspension to two years.
Can a social worker be removed for ill health?
Not on health, competence or English grounds alone, unless they have already been suspended or under conditions for a continuous two years.
Can I return to the register after removal?
You can apply for restoration five years after the removal order took effect. Adjudicators decide.
How long does a warning stay on the register?
A warning order is recorded for 1, 3 or 5 years. Decision makers start at 1 year and increase it only where needed.
Will my hearing be published?
Hearing details and the allegations are published on Social Work England's website at least two weeks before the hearing. Published health decisions do not name the precise condition.
How do I appeal a Social Work England decision?
To the High Court, within 28 days starting the day after you are notified. A final order does not take effect until the appeal period ends or the appeal is decided. An interim order applies immediately.
How long can an interim order last?
Up to 18 months, reviewed every six months. Social Work England must apply to the High Court to extend it, and the court can refuse or shorten an extension if the case has been delayed.
Are social work students registered with Social Work England?
No. Universities handle student fitness to practise. Newly qualified social workers on the ASYE are registered and fully covered.
What CPD does Social Work England require?
At least two different pieces of CPD each registration year, one including a peer reflection, recorded by 30 November.
Does Social Work England regulate social workers in Scotland or Wales?
No. Scotland has the SSSC, Wales has Social Care Wales and Northern Ireland has the NISCC.
Do I have to self-refer to Social Work England?
Yes, if something changes your fitness to practise: convictions, cautions, penalty notices or a criminal investigation, findings by another body, relevant disciplinary proceedings at work, barring, or an unmanaged health condition that could affect safe practice.
Can I leave the register during an investigation?
You can apply for voluntary removal at any time. It is usually granted only if you have stopped practising, do not intend to return, and there is no public interest in the case continuing.
Are some social workers referred more than others?
Social Work England's own analysis found social workers aged 40 and over, men, and Black social workers over-represented in referrals and in cases sent to a hearing.
Do I need a lawyer for a Social Work England hearing?
No, you can represent yourself, and the legal adviser can explain procedure. But you must cross-examine witnesses and make submissions yourself, so union or legal representation is strongly advisable.
Is there support for social workers under investigation?
Yes. The Fitness to Practise Support Service, run by Wellbeing Solutions, offers free confidential emotional support by phone 24 hours a day.
Primary sources
26 official documents, laws and judgments
- Social Work England: Annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026
- Social Work England: Annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025
- Social Work England: Triage guidance
- Social Work England: Guidance for employers
- Social Work England: Guide for social workers under investigation
- Social Work England: Fitness to practise process flowchart
- Social Work England: Impairment and sanctions guidance
- Social Work England: Interim order guidance for social workers
- Social Work England: Adjudicator consensual disposal guidance
- Social Work England: Make a self-referral
- Social Work England: Voluntary removal
- Social Work England: Guidance for self-represented social workers
- Social Work England: Update on diversity data in fitness to practise (October 2024)
- Social Work England: Professional standards
- Social Work England: Registration renewal
- Social Work England: Updated approach to reviewing CPD records
- Social Work England: PSA review of performance in 2025 (March 2026)
- Department for Education: Independent review of social work professional regulation
- Department for Education: Government response to the independent review (July 2026)
- Social Workers Regulations 2018, regulation 25 (grounds)
- Social Workers Regulations 2018, regulation 29 (protected title)
- Social Workers Regulations 2018, Schedule 2 Part 3 (orders)
- Social Workers Regulations 2018, Schedule 2 Part 5 (appeals)
- Professional Standards Authority v Social Work England [2023] EWHC 926 (Admin)
- Social Work England v Nyamapfene [2025] EWHC 3389 (Admin)
- PSA: Regulators we oversee
