Government called on to act to prevent “destitution” of social workers languishing in FtP investigations
The government must step in and support social workers facing financial ruin because they are left unable to work while waiting for fitness to practise hearings, the Social Workers Union (SWU) has said.
The call comes in the wake of growing concern over a backlog of cases at Social Work England.
Figures from the regulator in July showed the average time from case referral to outcome is nearly two-and-a-half years.
More than 500 cases had been in the system for up to five years, with 44 cases referred more than five years ago.
One social worker whose story was highlighted by PSW has been waiting more than six years since initial referral in 2018.
SWU says the delays are unacceptable, particularly as many social workers are unable to continue practising while investigations are ongoing, resulting in loss of income.
At its AGM last month, SWU passed a motion calling for an action plan to reduce timescales for hearings.
The motion also commits the union to lobbying government to provide “financial and emotional support for those subject to orders prohibiting work” and “allocation of government funds for families when they fall into destitution because of unreasonable delays to investigations and hearings”.
SWU’s general secretary John McGowan said: “Government ministers must be updated regarding the lengthy hearing delays and the unintended consequences this can have and we will ask for their support.
“Now that the motion has been passed we will look at constructive ways of doing this with our campaigning groups.”
In the summer, SWU issued a joint statement with Unison warning the “stagnant situation” caused by delays in FtP investigations was adding to the recruitment and retention crisis in social work. It added the toll on the mental health of social workers stuck in limbo was “intolerable”.
Some social workers have reported feeling suicidal while waiting for cases to resolve.
Social Work England has said it cannot consider scheduling further hearings until the 2025/26 financial year. It has previously said it needs more financial resources to deal with the backlog and says it has had to deal with 30 per cent more concerns than expected, on top of 1,400 inherited cases from previous regulator, the Health and Care Professions Council.
The Department for Education was contacted for comment.
Review of CPD submissions cancelled
Social Work England has announced it will not be reviewing CPD records social workers are required to submit annually to maintain their registration.
The regulator has emailed social workers on its register telling them of the change just two months before the 30 November submission deadline.
Two years ago, the regulator increased the amount of CPD practitioners need to submit from one to at least two examples, including a reflection with a manager or peer.
Normally 2.5 per cent of social work workers would be selected to have their work reviewed by independent assessors.
However, the regulator is reviewing its approach to registration renewal, including looking into how social workers use CPD.
It added: “While we carry out this work individual CPD records will not be selected for review by independent assessors. However, we will continue to conduct checks to ensure compliance with our CPD requirements.”
The change sparked comments from social workers on social media.
One said: “Shouldn’t have bothered wasting time completing to a good standard and stressing.”
Another said: “I’m annoyed tbh s I took a lot of time completing my CPD.”
One practitioner asked: "Why do this in the middle of the renewals period given the confusion it's likely to cause?"
Another said: “I got this email and felt the relief.”
Social Work England is inviting social workers in England to complete a survey on the renewal process.
Support struggling students
In his wider general secretary’s report, McGowan highlighted the ongoing hardship experienced by social work students.
SWU and BASW are backing student-led campaigns to improve bursaries in England and Northern Ireland, following recent successes in Scotland and Wales.
McGowan added: "The current student bursary system all over the UK for social work students is not fit for purpose. Yet again, social work has been excluded from any discussions around fairer and more equitable bursaries.
“Students on social work courses often complete frontline work as part of their courses, helping the most vulnerable in society. This means many social work students face unique levels of financial hardship as they are unable to work part-time while completing their studies.
“Therefore, failures to address the ability of students to complete social work courses will ultimately have a knock-on impact on the recruitment and retention of social workers into the future.”
McGowan also drew attention to the struggles faced by people within communities that social work serves.
"I have been campaigning relentlessly on wider social issues," he said. "Years of austerity, followed by the cost of living crisis due to failed economic policies have dragged people down.
“We’ve seen rising levels of poverty and queues at foodbanks combined with cuts to welfare benefits.
"As social workers, we witness the damage caused to individuals and sometimes whole communities by policies that haven’t been properly thought through.”