Initial findings explore 38% increase in referrals to Social Work England

Social Work England is reporting a sustained and significant rise in concerns raised about social workers, with new analysis indicating a 38% increase in referrals over the past year. The regulator’s initial findings, drawn from a detailed review of 500 pre‑triage cases between April 2024 and March 2026, show that the surge has persisted since December 2024 and is being shaped by wider system pressures and changing public behaviour.

The increase is not being driven by more cases requiring regulatory action. In fact, 96% of referrals from members of the public are closed at triage, and overall 85% of concerns do not progress further. Instead, the research highlights several factors contributing to the rise:

• Digital signposting via AI search tools Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT are now routinely directing people to Social Work England’s “raise a concern” page when they search for how to complain about a social worker. With AI adoption in the UK reaching 69% by early 2025, the regulator says it is now “likely” that anyone searching for complaint routes will be guided towards making a regulatory referral.

• Growing strain across children’s services and family courts Two‑thirds of all referrals analysed concerned children’s services, and nearly two‑thirds involved local authority social workers. Complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman reached 20,773 in 2024–25, while statutory complaints in a sample of ten councils rose sharply from 983 to 1,347 in a single year. Family courts were still carrying 47,662 outstanding children’s cases at the end of 2024.

• Who is raising concerns Members of the public accounted for 61% of referrals in the sample, with mothers making up the largest proportion of complainants. Most said they had already tried raising concerns elsewhere, and 34.5% provided evidence of a statutory complaint to the employer.

• A small number of repeat complainants Just 39 individuals generated 133 concerns, with some submitting multiple complaints about different registrants.

Social Work England says the findings will support ongoing work to understand why certain groups of social workers are overrepresented in its fitness to practise processes and to improve the data it captures about referrals. Executive director for regulation Philip Hallam said the research will help ensure regulatory processes “effectively and efficiently protect the public” while providing clearer insight into why concerns are being raised.