Social Work England announces three-year strategy

Social Work England is the specialist Social Care regulator for almost 100,000 Social Workers in England. Recently, Social Work England have announced their new 3-year strategy which outlines how they will drive positive change for both Social Workers and the public they serve.

The new strategy comes at a time where the Social Care profession faces significant change and challenges. From the continuing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic to issues with staffing and the recruitment process, Social Workers are becoming over worked with limited opportunities for up-to-date career progression and training.

Colum Conway, the Social Work England Chief Executive has commented,

“We cannot effectively regulate the profession without understanding the challenges it faces and how it is evolving over time.”

“We hope our new strategy for the next three years shows that we have continued to listen and learn from everyone who has engaged with our work. We are committed to keeping this at the heart of our approach to regulation as we seek to drive positive change and protect the public.”

The first key step that Social Work England is taking to improve the ways of Social Work is regulation and protection. Extra measures will be taken to ensure that Social Work registration meets the needs of the public, as well as staying up to date with the changes happening within communities.

How will this be done?

• A thorough and regularly updated registration process that is done yearly by Social Workers.
• Looking at how complaints about Social Workers are dealt with, making sure they are dealt with in a professional manner that finds the fairest outcome for both the person making the compliant and the Social Worker.
• Ensuring that all Social Work is done in a fair, transparent, and efficient manner, in the public’s interest.
• Identifying and implementing new approaches to local areas as and when concerns are raised.
• Encouraging and promoting professional development for Social Workers, to demonstrate to the public that Social Workers meet professional standards.

The second key step that Social Work England is taking is prevention and impact, in hope to stop problems from happening at all times. Building trust with Social Workers will help maintain positive and strong relationships that will help everyone in the profession to come together.

How will the be done?

• Showing the public how Social Workers are helped and supported.
• Building trust and confidence with everyone within the profession.
• Creating a clear understanding of the need for and responsibilities of professional regulation.
• Encouraging Social Workers to complete all necessary training.
• Working in partnership with Social Workers to ensure best practise is successfully met at all times.
• Communicating with Social Workers to get their opinions on the job they do and rules they follow.
• Working with Senior Social Workers to make appropriate risk assessments.
• Ensuring that all Social Work students get thorough training before qualifying, as well as making sure that all Social Work courses are kept up to date.

The final strategy outlined by Social Work England is delivery and improvement, which is all about providing the public with the best possible service, whilst always finding ways for further improvement. Social Work England have planned to make their digital services better, as well as asking the public for their opinion on the service.

How will this be done?

• All information for the public will now be provided digitally to make it more accessible.
• Online surveys will be conducted to get regular and up to date feedback from the public
• More seamless procedure when dealing with problems and complaints

The strategy comes after the success of the first one that covered the period from 2020 to 2023, which focused on the work that Social Work England do that establishes them as an effective regulator and organisation. The new strategy is set to be rolled out over the period of the 1^stApril 2023 to 31^st March 2026, building on what Social Work England has already achieved.

To find out more about the 3 year strategy, click here

Looking for your next role as a Social Worker? Click here to view our latest positions. Can’t find what your looking for? Call a dedicated member of our Social Care team on 01473 939670 and we could help you find your next position today.

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