Social workers, it's time for annual renewal
By Gemma Raw
‘Social Worker’ is a protected title, and it is illegal to practice social work without an active Social Work England registration. The organisation is highlighting the importance of social workers renewing their annual registration before the deadline of 30 November.
With the social care system under extreme pressure, reducing attrition of the workforce is vital. Encouraging social workers to renew their annual registration is key in promoting retention of valuable frontline social care staff.
In a recent interview on the Social Work England website, Executive Director of Regulation Phil Hallam talks about why registration is so important and why it's required every year.
"Annual renewal is important as it provides the public regular assurance that you meet the requirements to remain on the register," he says. "These requirements include a declaration that you continue to meet the professional standards, and that you can continue to practise safely and effectively."
Workforce challenges
Recruitment and retention of staff is one of the major challenges facing the social care sector. According to Department for Education statistics, 8.6% of all local authority children's social workers left the profession during the year ending September 2021. Data published by Skills for Care shows that the vacancy rate in adult social care was 7.1% in 2021, equating to 8,000 vacancies for social work jobs. Against this backdrop, it's obvious why encouraging all social workers to renew their registration is such a high priority.
Increased CPD requirement
A major change in this year's registration renewal process is the increase in the minimum requirement for submitted evidence of continuing professional development (CPD), which has been revised from one piece to two pieces. Social Work England's Hallam acknowledges that social workers are balancing huge workloads and may struggle to find time to keep on top of their CPD. However, he stresses that it should never be seen as simply a 'tick box exercise'.
"It can help you to grow and develop your skills, improve service delivery based on feedback and evidence, and deliver new knowledge and ways of thinking," he explains.
Diversity data
As we reported in this previous blog, Social Work England is asking all social workers to share their equality and diversity information during the registration renewal process. Although this is optional, Social Work England has stressed how important it is in helping them identify and respond to inequalities and discrimination within the social care workforce.
How to renew your registration
Renewing your annual registration is a relatively simple process. The first step is to log in to your account via the Social Work England website (or create a new account if you don't already have one). You should then select 'apply to renew your application' in the section entitled 'Annual renewal is now open' at the top left of the page.
If you've already recorded your CPD, you can continue to edit it or add to it until 30 November. If you haven't already recorded your CPD, you'll have the option to do so as part of your application or at a later date before 30 November.
Full instructions on how to renew your annual registration are available here. Any questions? Get in touch with Social Work England.
