Registration renewal and CPD data (October 2023)
Social workers must be on Social Work England’s register to practise legally. They must renew annually, so the public can be sure they continue to meet the professional standards and practise safely.
Social workers in England who want to continue practising must renew their registration by 30 November
11/3/2023 12:00:00 PM
Social workers in England have been applying to renew their registration since 1 September. Social workers must be on Social Work England’s register to practise legally. They must renew annually, so the public can be sure they continue to meet the professional standards and practise safely.
As part of the renewal process, social workers are reminded they must use their online account to complete all 3 actions of the registration renewal process. They need to:
- submit their registration renewal application form
- pay their registration fee
- record a minimum of 2 different pieces of continuing professional development (CPD). They must include a peer reflection with at least one of these pieces of CPD
They must complete all of the above by 11:59pm (UK time) on 30 November 2023.
About the social work register
Comparing 2023 and 2022
Please note that this data excludes social workers with an open voluntary removal case.
| Social workers by registration date | 31 October 2023 | 31 October 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Social workers by registration date Registered before 1 September (required to complete the 3 actions to renew their registration) | 31 October 2023 101,453 | 31 October 2022 98,791 |
| Social workers by registration date Joined or restored to the register since 1 September (only required to pay registration fee) | 31 October 2023 2,115 | 31 October 2022 2,013 |
Registration renewal application form and CPD progress
The data below is only for social workers on the register before 1 September each year. They are required to complete 3 actions to renew their registration:
- submit an application form
- pay their registration fee
- meet the CPD requirements
Of those social workers required to complete the 3 actions above, at 31 October 2023, 25,353 (25%) had completed all 3, compared to 22,556 (22.8%) at 31 October 2022).
Social workers who join the register from 1 September do not need to submit a registration renewal application form or record CPD for this registration year. However, they do need to pay the registration fee by 30 November.
Of those social workers that are only required to pay the registration fee by 30 November 2023, at 31 October 2023, 1,171 (55.4%) have paid, compared to 1,326 (65.9%) at 31 October 2022.
Registration renewal application progress
Comparing 2023 and 2022
| Social workers' registration renewal application progress | 31 October 2023 | 31 October 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Social workers' registration renewal application progress Submitted a completed renewal form | 31 October 2023 37,181 (36.6%) | 31 October 2022 32,740 (33.1%) |
| Social workers' registration renewal application progress Started renewal form, but not yet completed it | 31 October 2023 11,786 (11.6%) | 31 October 2022 9,888 (10.0%) |
| Social workers' registration renewal application progress Not yet started a renewal form | 31 October 2023 52,486 (51.7%) | 31 October 2022 56,163 (56.9%) |
Of those social workers that have submitted a completed renewal form, 25,381 (68.3%) have not yet met all CPD requirements, compared to 22,644 (69.2%) in October 2022.
CPD progress
Comparing 2023 and 2022
| Social workers’ CPD progress | 31 October 2023 | 31 October 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Social workers’ CPD progress Social workers who have met all CPD requirements | 31 October 2023 28,201 (27.8%) | 31 October 2022 25,811 (26.1%) |
| Social workers’ CPD progress Social workers who have started the CPD process but not yet met all CPD requirements | 31 October 2023 8,007 (7.9%) | 31 October 2022 7,980 (8.1%) |
| Social workers’ CPD progress Social workers who have yet to submit any valid CPD records | 31 October 2023 65,245 (64.3%) | 31 October 2022 65,000 (65.8%) |
Social Work England website availability
The Social Work England website and online account were available for 99.9% of October 2023 compared to 100% in October 2022. This excludes planned outages for maintenance.
An update from Social Work England
Philip Hallam, Executive Director of Regulation said:
“We are encouraged to see that the number of social workers recording their CPD and renewing their registration continues to increase. It’s great to see that the social work register continues to grow, with more social workers joining the profession.
“Annual registration renewal allows social workers to demonstrate to the public that as part of maintaining registration, they are continually learning and developing their own skills and knowledge through CPD.
“Please remember that if you receive an email or text from us about renewing your registration, please read them and log on to your online account. You are receiving these because you have actions outstanding on your online account.
“When you log on to your online account, 3 blocks show what you need to do to complete your registration renewal application.
“As a way of reassurance, if you complete all 3 actions of the registration renewal process by 14 November 2023, you will receive an email from us on 15 November 2023 confirming that there are no further actions for you to take. This will give you and your employer assurance that you have completed all the actions required to apply to renew your registration. We will then contact you again after the 30 November with our decision on your registration renewal application. After the 1 December, you can check your registration status on the public register on our website.
“We’re here to help and want to make sure that the experience of renewing your registration is a positive one. Remember to visit our website for helpful resources and continue to take advantage of the support on offer.”
The next data update will be available 23 November 2023.