Principal social workers have urged practitioners to “let go of their frustrations” regarding Social Work England’s decision not to check continuing professional development (CPD) submissions made for this year’s registration renewal round.
Last month, the regulator announced it would not carry out its usual practice of checking the CPD of 2.5% of registered social workers following the 2024 renewal process, which concludes on 30 November. This is because it is carrying out a wider review of its approach to CPD, for which it currently requires practitioners to submit two pieces of learning as part of the annual renewal process, one of which must have been reflected upon with a peer.
In a statement issued today, the chairs of the Adult Principal Social Worker Network said that social workers had shared “frustrations” about the decision with some PSWs, though did not specify what these were.
However, while they acknowledged the frustrations, the network chairs urged practitioners to reflect on the importance of carrying out CPD for their professional development.
CPD ‘may not be seen but will make a difference’
“Like many acts undertaken in social work, this year it may not be seen, but it will make a difference, and its impact felt,” the chairs said. “We encourage all social workers to let go of any frustrations and…be accountable and maintain our CPD by sharing our learning with peers.”
They referenced standards 3 and 4 of Social Work England’s professional standards, which all practitioners must uphold. These require social workers to be accountable for the quality of their practice and the decisions that they take (standard 3) and to maintain their continuing professional development (standard 4).
The network chairs added: “Whilst things can feel really tough, it offers a perfect opportunity to reconnect with why we do what we do as social workers. If you submit both pieces as a peer reflection you will have worked with others to grow together. We also ask employers to give space for social workers to complete this requirement.”
‘A good time to review CPD approach’
In its statement last month, Social Work England said that, having taken responsibility for regulation five years ago, now was a “good time” to review its CPD requirements.
It said the review would look at how the process provided assurance to the public about the safety and effectiveness of social workers’ practice and how it supported practitioners to evidence that they were meeting the regulator’s professional standards.
To inform the process, it has launched a short survey of social workers and others with an interest in the profession.
This asks how far respondents believe annual registration ensures the register remains up to date and accurate and gives the public and employers confidence in the profession, and how far they see CPD as vital to maintaining professional standards in social work.
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SWE are struggling to find the time to check/verify CPD documentation. Why does it not struggle to acknowledge that Social Workers struggle to find the time to do their jobs, including undertaking CPD tasks?
PSW network does not listen to social workers. The whole we know best approach is just another quango we don’t need. Who voices the views of social workers now? BASW? TCSW? (who you say) PSW network?
What’s our £90 paying for this year? If we said we’re coming to work this year but won’t do any work…don’t think that would stick!
This profession is getting unbearable. I’ve only been a SW for two years, and I’ve never known a disorganised professional group like it. I retrained from another profession, and I’m going back to that profession…at least they’re getting a pay rise this year.
Cuts dressed up as change?
More senior management roles than ever, earning 70 80 90 grand plus a year but holding a caseload of 0. Always in important meetings, canceling sessions with teams, not covering when junior managers are off, leading social workers to manage themselves.
Meanwhile, NQSW is starting in some teams with 30 cases. Leaders pretend they don’t know. It’s abhorrent.
Staff sickness increased by 40%, and of that, 80% owing to workplace stress. What’s being done? Nothing. Just more cuts.
It’s a very sad place to be in right now, and our PSW has been off sick…with stress.
We need to listen, respect and be heard. Not told to let it go.
I wish I could frame your comment, as it’s one of the best I have read summing up the dire reality of the situation in social work in the UK. Out-of-interest which profession were you originally in, and are returning to please?
You have made a smart and wise decision fairly early into your social work career (although 2 years, is like 20 years in this profession), and I wish I had made that decision after 2 years, and not stayed for 25.
I have paid a high and heavy price to be a social worker, as my physical, emotional, and mental health has greatly suffered, and my personal life as well. I virtually have no social life outside of work (which became my life, due to the heavy workload required to keep up with the job), and now have virtually no friends or home life at all. It’s hard to maintain a social life and friends, when you are working 70+ hours a week. It also cost me dearly financially, as all of the excessive hours unpaid hours, meant I was working a second job for free, and needed to keep up with the workload in my own time, which meant working all through the evenings and on the weekends.
There is no sympathy or support from management whatsoever, some of whom do very little, and earn a lot. In this job you cannot even afford to get sick, as if you do, there is nobody else to work on your caseload, and the work keeps piling up. I can recall countless times I went to work clearly sick with a cold, flu, and a temperature, and not one manager asked if I was okay, as they did not want to send me home. What other organisation is as heartless or lacking in basic humanity as that?
I worked for 1 year as agency in one of the worst and most deprived borough’s in children’s services in London, which is known for high staff turnover and poor working conditions, and I was working until midnight and every weekend – all weekend, just to keep up with a high and unmanageable case load. I resigned when my manager wanted to increase my caseload (when I was sitting on around 38 children), which was un-manageable at the time (so she would just be making it more unmanageable and dangerous), and I pointed out I had no option but to leave as I could not ‘increase’ my unpaid working hours to meet the new demand, as this would mean I would be going to bed at 2am or 3am every night, and then expected to perform as normal.
What other professional tolerates this abusive behaviour from management and their own organisation?
There is no desire to change the system, even the work expectations are totally unrealistic, as single assessments are expected to be so detailed and thorough, when we just don’t have the time. It is dangerous, and an accident waiting to happen.
The good news is I also have an exit strategy I have put in place, as this is not a job one can do until retirement, and I am looking forward to the future.
The system will continue until all the Social Worker’s say ‘Not in my name’, and vote with their feet, and only when there is nobody to do the job will it change.
100% agree.
Well of course PSWs. When you’ve put so much into cheerleading for SWE you can’t really row back now can you? If you are interested in our “unseen” work perhaps you could start with asking your own bosses why they take it as given that we will do unpaid overtime. Something tangible not the faux professional standards pretence would be a good start.
A disappointing and tone deaf response – from a fellow PSW.
What do PSW’s do? Clearly not advocacy for front-line Social Workers
This article reads to me like the Adults PSW Networks has been stitched up!
APSW Network hasn’t been stitched up. They are ‘uncritical friends: of SWE. Having happily lap dogged for them enthusiastically SWE are asking for yet one more favour and APSW Network are obliged to deliver once more.
I asked our PSW what he thought of these comments and he told me he only reads to articles and never the comments because apparently most are ignorant, uninformed and not worth the effort. So there you have it folks, that’s what at least one of our leaders thinks of us social workers.
PSWs are the Humpty Dumpty’s of social work. “When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean”. One minute champions of social workers with platitudes that warm our cockles, next contorting into amusing positions to utter their confidence in and competence of SWE. Actually maybe they are the Hydra of Lerna, forever guarding the parameters of social work as they would like it to be, professional, rigorous, research lead, legislation compliant, person centred not budget driven and ‘well’ regulated, rather than the glad to have got through another day but dreading tomorrow anxieties experienced by almost all social workers. So of course a PSW won’t read out comments, it might cause a slight twinge that what leaders convince themselves is actually isn’t.
I’ve never come across a more ineffectual role than of the PSW… our current PSW adults spends more time forwarding emails about irrelevant tosh and making un-achievable recommendations than anyone I’ve ever known.
Their latest argument is they are on the same level as the Head of Service therefore should not be questioned on the ”work” they are doing.. appears the role has completely lost touch with its original aims and lost its focus on improving frontline social work..
Sad thing being – we could recruit 2 frontline workers for the wage the PSW is currently on…