Make a self-referral

Last updated: 27 January 2021

• When to make a self-referral
• Convictions, cautions, penalty notices or being investigated for a criminal offence
• Findings by other bodies
• Barred from working with vulnerable groups
• Health conditions
• Employment proceedings
• Anything else that may impair your fitness to practise
  
  

When to make a self-referral

If there has been a change to your fitness to practise, you will need to tell us about it. Things that impact your fitness to practise include (but are not limited to):

• convictions, cautions, penalty notices or being investigated for a criminal offence
• findings by other bodies
• disciplinary proceedings
• being barred from working with children or vulnerable adults
• health conditions that affect your ability to carry out your usual duties as a social worker
• employment proceedings

You can find more information in our guidance on self-referrals. 

Convictions, cautions, penalty notices or being investigated for a criminal offence

If you are making a self-referral about a conviction, caution, penalty notice or investigation for a criminal offence you should provide us with the following information:

• details of the offence
• the date you received the conviction, caution, penalty notice or that the investigation started
• the name and contact details of the court or authority that issued the conviction, caution or penalty notice or that is investigating
• any other information that you believe will help to explain the circumstances that led to the conviction, caution, penalty notice or investigation
• any supporting documents you want to include in the self-referral

If you’re aware that you have committed an offence overseas that may be equivalent to an offence in the UK, you should seek independent expert or legal advice to check whether you need to tell us about it.

View or download the 'conviction, caution, penalty notice or investigation' form

Findings by other bodies

We need to know if your fitness to practise has been found to be impaired by another professional or regulatory body. This includes regulators outside of the social work profession.

If you are making a self-referral about the findings of another body, you should provide us with the following information:

• name and contact details of the regulatory body that found your fitness to practise impaired
• date of the decision
• outcome of your fitness to practise case, for example a suspension or removal
• any other information that you believe will help us to understand the circumstances that led to the decision
• any supporting documents you want to include in the self-referral

View or download the 'findings by another body' form

Barred from working with vulnerable groups

You need to make a self-referral if you are (any of the following):  

• listed on the adult’s or children’s list under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007
• listed on the adult’s or children’s list under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007
• subject to a barring order under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006)
• barred from working with vulnerable people in any other country

If you are making a self-referral because you are barred from working with vulnerable groups, you should provide us with the following information:

• date you were barred from working with children or vulnerable adults
• name and contact details of the organisation that barred you from working with children or vulnerable adults
• any other information that you believe will help us to understand the circumstances that led to the decision
• any supporting documents you want to include in the self-referral

View or download the 'working with vulnerable groups' form

Health conditions

We ask about health conditions because we need to know that the people on our register are able to fulfil their role as a social worker safely and effectively.

Many people with health conditions are able to practise safely and effectively. You may receive support or treatment from a health care professional. Additionally, your employer has a responsibility to discuss what reasonable adjustments they can provide to support you at work.

You must tell us about a health condition if both of the following apply:

• your health condition affects, or could affect, your ability to perform your role as a social worker safely and effectively (this includes any episodic conditions that may affect your ability to practise safely and effectively if you experience a recurrence)
• you do not have arrangements in place that manage the health condition and enable you to perform your role as a social worker safely and effectively

If you have any health conditions that meet both the criteria above, you should provide us with the following information:

• the nature and seriousness of your health condition, including whether it is ongoing or episodic
• how your condition might affect your ability to practise safely and effectively
• what steps you are taking to manage your health condition, such as medication and reduced hours, and how effective these are
• whether you have told your employer about your health condition
• any relevant dates

View or download the 'health condition' form

Employment proceedings

You need to tell us if you’ve been involved in any disciplinary proceedings at work that could affect your fitness to practise.

If you are making a self-referral because you’ve been involved in any disciplinary proceedings at work, you should provide us with the following information:

• date the proceedings started
• what the proceedings are about
• the outcome of the proceedings (if known)
• the name and contact details of the organisation taking proceedings
• any supporting documents you want to include in the self-referral

View or download the 'employment proceedings' form

Anything else that may impair your fitness to practise

Our professional standards require social workers to declare to Social Work England anything that might affect their ability to do their job competently or may affect their fitness to practise.

You need to tell us about anything that you think may impair your fitness to practise, even if it doesn’t fit into one of the above categories.

Please provide us with as much information as possible to help us decide on next steps.

View or download the 'other declarations' form