The regulation of social workers in England has transferred to Social Work England
From Monday 2 December 2019 Social Work England became responsible for the regulation of social workers in England.
Please see the Social Work England website at www.socialworkengland.org.uk to view their register. You can also find out more about their standards, how they work with the profession, and how to apply to their register as well as information on how to raise a concern about a social worker on their register.
If you can’t find what you need on the website, or want to speak to Social Work England directly, please email enquiries@socialworkengland.org.uk or call 0808 196 2274.
FAQs on the transfer of regulation to Social Work England
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No, you do not need to do anything. The transfer, including your payment of fees by direct debit if appropriate, was automatic for everyone on the Register. You can check their register for reassurance.
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Social Work England became the regulator for social workers on 2 December 2019. Please raise your concerns with them. Details of how to do this can be found on their website.
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All remaining balances are being transferred to Social Work England.
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With the authority granted to us by the government, the HCPC has transferred the direct debit details we held for you to Social Work England. They will now use these details to draw down any future direct debit payments. The first payment they would be due to draw down is in April 2020.
The good news is that you don’t need to do anything. There is no need for you to complete a new direct debit instruction as details of this change will be supplied to your bank. They may notify you of this shortly.
The only change you will notice is that from April, Social Work England will collect your direct debit payments for your professional registration. This should appear as ‘SocialWorkEngland’ on your bank statement. You may also see a comment on your bank statement advising you of the final payment under the HCPC.
What if I need to change my direct debit details?
Within a few weeks of the transfer, Social Work England will be in touch with you with details of how to create an online account. Social Work England will work with their direct debit provider GoCardless to manage all future payments and will email people to confirm the change over coming weeks.
If you have any questions about how direct debits will work at Social Work England, please contact them via enquiries@socialworkengland.org.uk. Please do not contact the HCPC to do this, as we will not be in a position to help you.
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In its January 2016 paper, A vision for change, the Department for Education announced it would set up a new regulatory body for social work in England. The new regulatory body would have a “wider remit” than the HCPC to look at post-qualification, accreditation, and potentially CPD.
Social Work England has since been established and has now taken over the regulatory function from the HCPC.
