Department for Education written question – answered at on 23 June 2026.
Siân Berry
Green Spokesperson (Justice), Green Spokesperson (Transport), Green Spokesperson (Work and Pensions), Green Spokesperson (Democratic Standards), Green Spokesperson (Home), Green Party Chief Whip
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure high professional standards in social work in the period in which Social Work England has paused its external sampling audit of continuing professional development records.
Josh MacAlister
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education
The independent regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England, sets the professional standards which all social workers must meet and includes requirements on maintaining continuing professional development (CPD).
As part of the registration and renewal process, social workers are required to record a minimum of two different pieces of CPD, of which one must include a peer reflection.
Social Work England has confirmed it will review up to 3% of CPD records for the 2025–26 registration year, after the renewal period ends on 30 November 2026. Social Work England will continue to consider its longer-term approach to reviewing CPD which will take into account the outcome of the Independent Review of Social Work Regulation which will be published in due course.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
