Fitness to practise referrals data
Quarterly data relating to our fitness to practise referrals and outcomes
Data relating to 1 July to 30 September 2023
All referrals received
A referral is a concern about a social worker’s fitness to practise that has been raised with us. These can be raised by anyone. More information on our fitness to practise process can be found in our fitness to practise guidance.
For the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023:
- 389 fitness to practise referrals received during the 3-month period
The source of referrals received
We do not hold information on the source of all referrals received in the quarter. As this information is identified it will be added to the case information. This means numbers may change over time.
Known sources of referrals during the 3-month period:
For the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023:
- 74 referrals were received from employers
- 133 referrals were received from members of the public
- 37 referrals were received from other sources
- 145 referrals were received from unknown sources
The top 3 types of concern for the referrals received
The types of concern listed below are overarching categories that include different reasons for making a fitness to practise referral. For further details please see the section on 'the top 3 types of concern received for the different sources of referral'.
Some referrals may include more than one type of concern.
We do not hold information on the type of concerns for all referrals received in the quarter.
As this information is identified it will be added to the case information. This means numbers may change over time. We have not included the unknown concern types in the data below.
Top 3 known concern types received during the 3-month period:
For the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023:
- 95 concerns were received regarding professional practice issues
- 74 concerns were received regarding dishonesty
- 48 concerns were received regarding poor or inappropriate communication
The top 3 types of concern received for the different sources of referral
For the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023:
Source of referral: Employer
- 45 concerns were received regarding breach of professional boundaries
- 20 concerns were received regarding dishonesty
- 14 concerns were received regarding Criminal proceedings/involvement
Source of referral: Member of the public
- 48 concerns were received regarding dishonesty
- 39 concerns were received regarding poor or inappropriate communication
- 38 concerns were received regarding professional practice issues
Source of referral: Other
- 13 concerns were received regarding criminal proceedings/involvement
- 10 concerns were received regarding professional practice issues
- 9 concerns were received regarding health
Triage outcomes for the different sources of referral
The triage stage of the fitness to practise process involves an initial assessment of the information received to decide if it is necessary to open an investigation. The triage outcomes data is based on the decisions that have been made in the quarter, not on the referrals that have been received in the quarter. We have only included outcomes in the below figures if we hold data on the source of referral.
For the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023:
Source of referral: Employer
- 28% of concerns were closed at the triage stage
- 72% of concerns progressed to investigation
Source of referral: Member of the public
- 89% of concerns were closed at the triage stage
- 11% of concerns progressed to investigation
Source of referral: Other
- 59% of concerns were closed at the triage stage
- 41% of concerns progressed to investigation
Case examiner outcomes for the different sources of referral
Stage 3 of the fitness to practise process, which follows triage and investigation stages, is where case examiners look at all available evidence and decide whether there is a realistic prospect that the fitness to practise of a social worker will be found to be impaired at a final hearing.
The case examiner outcomes data is based on the decisions that have been made in the quarter, not on the referrals that have been received in the quarter. This data will not align with the registration and fitness to practise data we also publish. This is because we have only included outcomes in the below figures if we hold data on the source of referral.
Note: Due to rounding, not all percentages add to 100%.
For the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023:
Source of referral: Employer
- 26% of concerns were closed at the case examiner stage of the fitness to practise process
- 26% of concerns resulted in accepted disposal
- 49% of concerns were referred to the hearing stage
Source of referral: Member of the public
- 67% of concerns were closed at the case examiner stage of the fitness to practise process
- 20% of concerns resulted in accepted disposal
- 13% of concerns were referred to the hearing stage
Source of referral: Other
- 29% of concerns were closed at the case examiner stage of the fitness to practise process
- 38% of concerns resulted in accepted disposal
- 33% of concerns were referred to the hearing stage
Hearing outcomes for referrals from employers and members of the public
The final stage of the fitness to practise process is the hearings stage.
The hearing outcomes data is based on the decisions that have been made in the quarter, not on the referrals that have been received in the quarter. This data will not align with the registration and fitness to practise data we also publish. This is because we have only included outcomes in the below figures if we hold data on the source of referral.
For the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023:
Source of referral: Employer
- No impairment, no further action: 6
- Impaired, warning order: 2
- Impaired, conditions of practice order: 2
- Impaired, suspension order: 7
- Impaired, removal order: 2
Source of referral: Member of the public
- No impairment, no further action: 1
Hearing outcomes from other sources of referral
For the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023:
Source of referral: Other
- No impairment, no further action: 3
- No impairment, warning: 1
- Impaired, warning order: 1
- Impaired, suspension order: 1
Types of concern categories
The types of concern listed on this page are overarching categories that include different reasons for making a fitness to practise referral. We use these categories to help us understand the different types of concerns being raised in fitness to practise referrals.
Many of the concern type categories have several sub-categories, examples of which are included in the below list. For the purpose of the data on this page, we have focused on the overarching categories and not the subcategories.
Bias and/or prejudicial treatment
Breach of professional boundaries
- Inappropriate relationships/ over-familiarisation with service user
- Inappropriately accessing records
- Undeclared conflict of interest
Consent
Criminal proceedings /involvement
- Caution, charge or conviction
- No further action
- Other resolution (such as community resolution)
- Under investigation
Dishonesty
- Dishonest conduct
- Falsification of records
- Lied within assessments
Domestic abuse
Employment issues
GDPR/data protection
Health
- Mental or physical health issues
- Substance abuse
Issue with decision social worker made or a conclusion in a report
Professional practise issues
- Content/quality of assessments
- Delay of cases
- Failing to follow statutory requirements or management instruction
- Issue with direct contact, for example, home visits
- Poor management oversight, record keeping or risk management
- Professional judgement/decision making
Poor or inappropriate communication
- Minor communication issues
- Offensive or derogatory language/views/conduct
- Repeated lack of reasonable engagement
- Threatening/aggressive
Private matter - family or neighbour disputes
Safeguarding concerns
- Poor risk management, harm reduction, response to concerns being raised
- Social workers' family are subject of social service intervention
Sexual misconduct
- In private life
- Within their position as social worker
Data archive
Quarterly reports
All referrals received
For the period of 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023:
- 420 fitness to practise referrals received during the 3-month period
The source of referrals received
For the period of 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023:
- 81 referrals were received from employers
- 205 referrals were received from members of the public
- 47 referrals were received from other sources
- 87 referrals were received from unknown sources
The top 3 types of concern for the referrals received
For the period of 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023:
- 141 concerns were received regarding professional practice issues
- 123 concerns were received regarding dishonesty
- 91 concerns were received regarding poor or inappropriate communication
The top 3 types of concern received for the different sources of referral
For the period of 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023:
Source of referral: Employer
- 20 concerns were received regarding breach of professional boundaries
- 26 concerns were received regarding dishonesty
- 43 concerns were received regarding professional practice issues
Source of referral: Member of the public
- 68 concerns were received regarding poor or inappropriate communication
- 79 concerns were received regarding dishonesty
- 84 concerns were received regarding professional practice issues
Source of referral: Other
- 8 concerns were received regarding professional practice issues
- 12 concerns were received regarding dishonesty
- 18 concerns were received regarding criminal proceedings/involvement
Triage outcomes for the different sources of referral
For the period of 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023:
Source of referral: Employer
- 20% of concerns were closed at the triage stage
- 80% of concerns progressed to investigation
Source of referral: Member of the public
- 94% of concerns were closed at the triage stage
- 6% of concerns progressed to investigation
Source of referral: Other
- 60% of concerns were closed at the triage stage
- 40% of concerns progressed to investigation
Case examiner outcomes for the different sources of referral
For the period of 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023:
Source of referral: Employer
- 25% of concerns were closed at the case examiner stage of the fitness to practise process
- 27% of concerns resulted in accepted disposal
- 48% of concerns were referred to the hearing stage
Source of referral: Member of the public
- 93% of concerns were closed at the case examiner stage of the fitness to practise process
- 2% of concerns resulted in accepted disposal
- 5% of concerns were referred to the hearing stage
Source of referral: Other
- 56% of concerns were closed at the case examiner stage of the fitness to practise process
- 22% of concerns resulted in accepted disposal
- 22% of concerns were referred to the hearing stage
Hearing outcomes for referrals from employers and members of the public
For the period of 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023:
Source of referral: Employer
- No impairment, no further action: 5
- No impairment, warning: 2
- Impaired, no further action: 1
- Impaired, warning order: 4
- Impaired, suspension order: 9
- Impaired, removal order: 6
Source of referral: Member of the public
- Impaired, suspension order: 3
Hearing outcomes from other sources of referral
For the period of 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023:
Source of referral: Other
- No impairment, no further action: 2
- No impairment, warning: 1
- Impaired, suspension order: 2
- Impaired, removal order: 4