Practise outside England
This guidance is for people who are registered, or who have been registered, with Social Work England and want to practise as a social worker outside England.
Practise outside England
Last updated: 27 November 2019
- About this guidance
- Your Social Work England registration
- Practising in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- Practising in the EEA or Switzerland
- Practising outside the EEA
- Requesting a practising or registration confirmation certificate
- Further information
About this guidance
This guidance is for people who are registered, or who have been registered, with Social Work England and want to practise as a social worker outside England.
Your Social Work England registration
If you choose to practise outside England, you can choose to stay registered with Social Work England. To practise in some countries, maintaining your registration with us may be required. You should check the requirements of the country you plan to practise in.
If you decide to stay registered with Social Work England, you must make sure you inform us of any changes to your personal details, including your correspondence address. In most cases, you can do this on your online Social Work England account. You must also continue to meet our CPD requirements.
If you decide to leave our register, please be aware that you will be charged a restoration fee of £135 (in addition to the fee for registration) if you decide to rejoin our register in the future.
You do not have to tell us if you are planning to practise abroad. However, you may need to request a practising certificate or registration confirmation certificate from us to prove that you are, or have been, a registered social worker in England.
If you remain registered with us while practising outside England, you must make sure you keep the details we hold about you, such as your home or correspondence address and your current employer, up to date.
For more information see:
- The Social Work England Registration Rules 2019, rule 5(2) and 50(1)
- The Social Workers Regulations 2018, reg 17(1)(d)
- The Social Work England Fees Rules 2019, rule 6(1)
Practising in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
To practise as a social worker in Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales, you must register with the relevant regulatory body. Each social work regulator will have their own requirements and you should read their guidance carefully. You don’t have to stay registered with Social Work England if you do not wish to, and if you don’t intend to practise in England.
The other UK social work regulators are:
Practising in the EEA or Switzerland
If you plan to practise in another EEA state or Switzerland, you must check the individual country’s requirements relating to registration and/or practise.
You may be asked to provide evidence of your current or past registration with Social Work England. If this is the case, we can provide you with a practising certificate. A practising certificate can be used to support an application to register under Directive 2005/36/EC, which facilitates the mutual recognition of professional qualifications throughout Europe.
Your practising certificate will contain your:
- name
- nationality
- Social Work England registration number
- gender identity (if you have provided this to us)
- date of birth
- registered address
- current registration status, including any fitness to practise sanctions that are visible on the public register
- registration history, which will show the dates of your current and past registration
For more information see:
- The Social Workers Regulations 2018, reg 8(8)
- Directive 2005/36/EC, Article 7(2)(d)
Practising outside the EEA
If you plan to practise in a country outside the EEA and Switzerland, you must also check the individual country’s requirements relating to registration and/or practice. You may be asked to provide evidence of your current or past registration with Social Work England. If this is the case, we can provide you with a registration confirmation certificate.
Your registration confirmation certificate will contain your:
- name
- Social Work England registration number
- date of birth
- registered address
- current registration status, including any fitness to practise sanctions that are visible on the public register
- registration history, which will show the dates of your current and past registration
For more information see:
- The Social Workers Regulations 2018, reg 8(7)
Requesting a practising or registration confirmation certificate
You can request a practising or registration confirmation certificate by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0808 196 2274.
If you make your request via email, please make sure you:
- Send your email from an email address we have on your record
- Quote your Social Work England registration number in the body of your email
- State ‘practising certificate’ or ‘registration confirmation certificate’ as the subject, depending on where you plan to practise
We will send your practising or registration confirmation certificate to you through your Social Work England online account.
Further information
For more information about practising outside England, please call us on 0808 196 2274 or email us on [email protected].