Social Work England publishes three-year plan
By Gemma Raw
The new 2023-2026 strategy sets out how the specialist social care regulator will drive positive change for those working in social work jobs and the public they serve.
Social Work England is the specialist regulator for almost 100,000 social workers in England. In May 2020, it published its first corporate strategy, covering the period up to March 2023.
This was followed up in August 2022 with a draft strategy for the next three years: 2023 to 2026. In developing this strategy, Social Work England reflected on the learning, successes and challenges of its first three years. In addition, social workers, people with lived experience of social work, educators, social work students, employers and organisations were all invited to comment on the proposals in a 12-week consultation.
The final strategy document has now been published. It has three main themes:
Regulation and protection: further improving Social Work England’s regulatory activity through relationships with the profession and employers.
Prevention and impact: taking the next step in public protection towards prevention of harm (rather than reaction to it).
Delivery and improvement: the delivery approach and behaviours that Social Work England needs to secure effective delivery.
A challenging time for social workers
The publication of the new strategy comes at a time when those working in social care roles face significant challenges. There are continuing effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as issues with recruitment and retention of social care staff, increasing caseloads for social workers and reduced time available for personal development.
Equality, diversity and inclusion in the social work profession is another key issue. Social Work England has formulated an action plan which demonstrates its commitment to positive change in this area, valuing diversity and representing the interests of all social workers in England, regardless of ethnicity or disability. The organisation has developed a set of professional standards which include a focus on anti-oppressive practice. It’s also part of an anti-racism partnership to drive commitment from the social care sector.
“We cannot effectively regulate the profession without understanding the challenges it faces and how it is evolving over time,” commented Social Work England Chief Executive Colum Conway. “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 specific actions which Social Work England will implement to achieve the objectives set out in its 2023 to 2026 strategy will be detailed in its annual business plans.
The business plan for 2023 to 2024 is scheduled to be published in the coming weeks.
Read Social Work England’s strategy for 2023 to 2026 in full here.
