Hearing outcomes

This guidance explains the possible hearing outcomes related to proven concerns about a social worker’s fitness to practise.

If the adjudicators decide that a social worker’s fitness to practise is impaired they may impose sanctions. The sanctions imposed by the adjudicators will be the minimum necessary to protect the public and the wider public interest. You can read more about the factors a panel may consider when deciding whether a sanction is appropriate in sanctions guidance.

The panel may decide to:

• take no further action
• give advice
• put a warning on the social worker’s registration for up to 5 years
• impose conditions of practice on a social worker’s practice for up to 3 years
• suspend a social worker’s registration for up to 3 years
• remove a social worker from the register

You can find more information about the relevant case law and the factors that panels should consider when making decisions in our practice notes.

View recent hearing decisions. 

No further action 

Decisions to take no further action are published on the website for one month but are not recorded on the online register. 

Advice 

Decisions to give advice will be added to the online register for one, 3 or 5 years depending on the seriousness of the issue. The decision will be published on our website.

Warnings

Warnings do not restrict a social worker’s practice and will only be used in cases where the social worker is seen to be fit to continue practising as a social worker without restrictions.

Warning decisions will be published on our website and the online register for one, 3 or 5 years depending on the seriousness of the issue and are not reviewed before they expire.

Warnings are recorded in a social worker’s fitness to practise history and may be taken into account should similar concerns arise in the future.

Conditions of practice

The main purpose of conditions of practice orders is to protect the public while the social worker takes any necessary steps to remediate their fitness to practise.

Read more about conditions of practice.

Suspensions

If conditions of practice are not suitable or workable and the case is not serious enough to require that the social worker is removed from the register, a suspension may be appropriate.

Read more about suspensions.

Removals

A removal order must be made where the adjudicators decide that no other outcome would be enough to:

• protect the public
• maintain confidence in the social work profession
• maintain proper professional standards for social workers in England

Interim orders

Interim orders are only needed when concerns about a social worker’s fitness to practise are so serious that, if we allowed the social worker to continue to practise without restriction, public safety would be put at risk, or there would be a risk to the social worker themselves.

You can read more about interim orders. 

Appeals 

Social workers who have a finding of impairment and a sanction imposed on them by the adjudicators have a right to appeal that decision to the High Court in England. The appeal must be made within 28 days of the decision being communicated to them.

You can read more about appeals processes.