DfE slashes Social Work England’s budget despite recent boost to tackle fitness to practise backlogs

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a proposed £1.4 million cut to Social Work England’s (SWE) 2025-26 budget, citing a projected underspend—just months after increasing the regulator’s funding to address mounting fitness to practise (FtP) backlogs.

The move, revealed in a DfE consultation on its draft budget for the coming year, marks a sharp reversal from the department’s earlier decision to allocate an additional £3.3 million to SWE in 2024-25. That funding boost, confirmed in July, was specifically aimed at helping the regulator clear a growing backlog of fitness to practise cases and improve the timeliness of investigations.

Now, the DfE is proposing to reduce SWE’s core grant from £25.1 million to £23.7 million for 2025-26, citing the regulator’s forecast that it will underspend its current allocation by £1.4 million. The department argues that the cut reflects prudent financial management and ensures public money is not tied up unnecessarily.

However, the timing of the proposed reduction has raised eyebrows across the sector. In July, SWE publicly welcomed the additional funding, stating it would enable the recruitment of more case examiners and legal staff to accelerate fitness to practise proceedings. The regulator had acknowledged that delays in resolving cases were placing undue stress on social workers and undermining public confidence in the system.

A spokesperson for SWE said the organisation remained committed to delivering improvements in fitness to practise performance and would continue to work closely with the DfE to ensure resources are aligned with operational needs. “We are focused on using our funding efficiently to protect the public and support social workers through fair and timely processes,” they said.

Sector observers have noted the apparent contradiction between the DfE’s recent investment in SWE’s fitness to practise capacity and its current proposal to reduce funding. While the underspend may reflect improved financial controls or delayed recruitment, critics warn that premature cuts could jeopardise progress on FtP reform and risk reintroducing delays.

The DfE’s consultation document maintains that the proposed reduction is “not expected to impact the delivery of SWE’s statutory functions,” but it remains unclear how the regulator will balance ongoing FtP pressures with a smaller budget envelope.

The consultation on the DfE’s 2025-26 budget proposals closes on 6 December. Stakeholders, including social work professionals and representative bodies, are being encouraged to submit their views on the implications of the funding changes.

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