I didn’t know this re ex-police. Thank you for this interesting information, it explains a lot about their internal processes.

Let’s be clear: this is not reform. This is regulatory negligence dressed up in the language of consultation. It’s an admission that the system is broken, followed by a decision to do absolutely nothing about it in the interim. A full decade could pass between the rollout of this CPD model and any tangible change to its enforcement, all while practitioners — the very people being regulated — are left to navigate a hollow, box-ticking exercise devoid of scrutiny, value, or credibility.

To say “we’re not going to review CPD submissions, but we’ll still require them” is not just ineffectual, it’s insulting. It tells social workers: we demand your compliance, but we can’t be bothered to check if it’s meaningful. We require your time and labour, but we won’t validate its quality. In fact, your professional development — the foundation of your practice and your clients’ safety — is so low on our list of priorities that we’ll rely on automated system checks to spot duplicate entries while pretending this counts as safeguarding the profession.

This is a disgrace.

Social Work England’s own research confirms what practitioners have been shouting for years: the current CPD framework is seen as a performative hoop-jump. Social workers are submitting just enough to pass, at the last minute, with minimal reflection — because the system encourages nothing more. And instead of addressing the root cause, SWE offers a years-long “consultation” as a Band-Aid. Meanwhile, meaningful professional learning — the kind that actually improves practice and protects vulnerable people — is left to wilt in a regulatory vacuum.

The regulator claims public protection is its “overarching objective.” How, exactly, does abandoning any attempt to assess the quality of social workers’ learning serve that goal? Where is the accountability? Where is the leadership?

And let’s not forget the context. This is a profession under siege — by burnout, unmanageable caseloads, chronic underfunding, and emotional exhaustion. Now, those who remain committed to their practice are told that the bare minimum is enough — and that SWE neither expects nor respects anything more.

Instead of supporting and elevating this workforce, SWE has chosen administrative convenience over professional integrity. It should be deeply ashamed.

If Social Work England wants to retain even a shred of legitimacy, it needs to end this charade immediately. Reinstate proper CPD audits. Invest in meaningful feedback mechanisms. Treat social workers like professionals whose growth matters. And stop pretending that pushing a broken system down the road for another two years is anything but an abdication of duty.

Until then, let’s call this what it is: a hollow gesture from a regulator that has forgotten how — or why — to regulate.

Ironically if you work to maintain your registration by completing CPD and doing other stuff, you are then not eligible for the RtoSW courses, even though it would help some people to move fully back into the job. I can’t honestly say profession, because at this point it doesn’t feel like one

TBH. Regardless of the reviews & consultations, I have felt that there has never been value for social work practitioners. The process some of my fellow peers have had to go through when complaints/allegations have been made against them, and SWE triage methods, have made them feel demoralised and unsupported. The time scales for investigations to be concluded are abysmal. Taking a toll on individuals mental health and finances, waiting for their name to be cleared. Maybe they could save money by freezing the top dogs wages in line with what we as practioners have to suffer, to reduce costings and not put up horrendous hikes in fees.

Why fret though? If they aren’t going to scrutinise you could write out your favourite recipe with a few social work.buzz words and relate it to an imaginary piece of practice. How would SWE tell you you haven’t meat a standards they aren’t monitoring? This is the best example of why contemporary social work is a joke but unfortunately at the expense of practicioners and the public. Pretend regulations do not make a profession.