SWE commits to improve timeliness of fitness to practise processes

Social Work England (SWE) has published its business plan for 2025 to 2026, outlining that it will take action to improve timeliness in our triage, investigations and case examiner functions.

In the business plan, it said it would, amongst other things:

• Build a more in-depth knowledge of the practice education landscape to inform and support the critical role of practice educators, including exploring potential regulatory levers.
• Take action to improve timeliness in our triage, investigations and case examiner functions whilst maintaining decision-making quality.
• Take action to address the hearings backlog.
• Identify and realise further efficiency and effectiveness opportunities in our hearings and case review functions.

The “Regulation and Protection” section emphasizes that safeguarding the public hinges on upholding high professional standards across the social work register and efficiently intervening when those standards are in doubt.

It outlines a commitment to a fair, transparent, and proportionate regulatory process where fitness to practise work not only protects service users but also demonstrates that social workers meet established standards through ongoing CPD requirements.

For 2025–2026, the objectives focus on enhancing the timeliness of triage, investigations, and case examiner functions through additional resources and process reviews; addressing the backlog of cases before hearings by increasing capacity; and further improving efficiency in hearings and case reviews—such as by piloting alternative approaches like two-person panels.

Collectively, these measures aim to balance rigorous public protection with efficient and fair decision-making.

We previously reported that the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) reported that Social Work England had failed to meet its standards on the fairness and efficiency in its fitness to practise system, for the third year running. The regulator met all 17 of the PSA’s other standards, in a generally positive review.

Social Work England did not meet the remaining standard (standard 15) because of ongoing delays in completing fitness to practise cases, with no improvement in timeliness during 2024.

Colum Conway, Chief Executive of Social Work England, said:

“Our business plan is guided by our legislation and statutory responsibilities, and by our values and guiding principles. These include our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and co-production, our aspiration to continually learn through the effective use of data and insight, and our ambition to deliver the best possible value for money.

We will continue to work closely with social workers, people with lived experience of social work and our other stakeholders to deliver our mission to protect the public and enable positive change in social work.”

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