Social Work England (SWE) sets standards, holds a register, quality assures social work education and investigates complaints.
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The A – Z Guide of Social Work Registration
Some social work degree programs may only be offered through a university, college or higher education institute.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of social work graduates in the UK are employed within 15 months post graduation.
That is why it is vital to do your social work registration as soon as possible!
In this article here, you can find the A to Z social work job interview tips.
As a social work graduate, social work registration will enable you to get a job in the social work field and expose you to other types of professional registration, including counseling and advocacy.
Read the pros and cons of social work here.
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By registering for your unique post-graduate qualification, it will help improve your employability immensely!
Social Work Registration: Is it Necessary and How to Get it Done?
This article will help you understand
⦁ Social work registration fees.
⦁ Social work renewal.
⦁ How to search social work register and login to England’s social work website, and
⦁ Social work registration requirements in the UK and internationally.
Let’s jump straight to the point!
What is the amount of social work registration fees in the UK?
To register as a social worker in the UK (new applicant), you need to pay a sum of £90.00 if your application is approved between December 1 and February 28, £67.50 between March 1 and May 31, £45.00 between June 1 and August 31, and £22.50 if your application is approved between September 1 and November 30.
For registered social workers, the UK’s annual social work registration fee is £90.00. You can either pay in full during renewal or partially; on October 1 (£45) AND 1st April (£45).
Note: If you fail to pay your social work registration fees, your account might be discontinued (at the social work register).
You must pay your social work registration fees for new applicants within ten days after the application approval.
If you fail to pay your social work registration fees within ten days, your application is closed, and you will have to reapply afresh to join the social work register.
As a social worker, you will have to pay the registration fees at least once.
However, failing to do so means your application may be discontinued, and then you must reapply again.
What is England’s Social Work Register and How to Search for It?
A social work register, or a register of social workers in the UK, is for any individual seeking to become registered under their profession.
Social work is a heavily regulated profession, with social workers in England having to register with Social Work England.
Once registered, they become publicly elected and can provide any services they wish within those limitations.
The Social Work Register for England is a statutory list of individual social workers who are competent enough to work.
Social Workers are accredited on this list based on their skills and qualifications.
The England Social Work Register has a straightforward and intuitive search engine for finding any registered social work professional in England.
How do you search for a social worker in the social work register?
See the social work England website here.
Social Work England offers a register for social work agencies, recruiters, and employers to avoid hiring an unethical professional.
It is essential to review their standards to connect with ethical professionals.
They also offer other information on pages like making a complaint about your social worker.
What role does a social worker play?
- Social workers play a vital role in family courts and other institutions to help children, adults, and older adults hold health care decisions.
2. They also work in schools doing assessments for special needs students.
3. They run programs to give people with substance abuse issues the tools necessary to stop them from abusing drugs or alcohol and are involved as court-appointed advocates who try to guide individuals through their legal situation.
4. Finally, social workers assist those undergoing rehabilitation or taking part in halfway houses or substance abuse programs.
Social workers are commonly referred to as the ‘silent professionals’ who help maintain the family structure by offering encouragement and direction regarding parenting, getting the right benefits, counseling…etc.
Almost all countries have a comprehensive regulation of social work regulating quality assurance for registration for many clinical occupations through state exams and licensing boards that mandate specialised training in their practical branches.
Clinical Social Work can be practiced as a board-certified social worker through a minimum of graduate-level study.
Or in some jurisdictions by passing an examination under the supervision and sponsorship of the licensing body (Wagner, 1973).
The pertinent schools are taught to use standardised diagnostic instruments and procedures to measure clinical practice or social work practice.
Such methods include direct observation, self-reports related to observations, interviews with clients/patients on various topics, including superficial personal attributes such as age distribution at the time of assessment, socioeconomic status, and alcohol or drug abuse issues.
Curative interventions such as education/counseling on possible risks, prevention techniques are based on the diagnosis for a specific disorder (Altar et al., 2006).
You can search for social workers in England by inputting their registration numbers into the search box (below) on the Social Work England website.
Enter their first name, last name, registration number or any combination of those.
In this register, you can find a list of all registered Social Workers in England.
So if you need to check through every social worker who is registered to practice in England, when employing them, this will be the ‘go to’ register.
How to Log Into Social Work England Website?
To log into your Social Work England account, you should use your email address and the password you chose when you created your account (see image below).
With your Social Work England online account, you can apply for annual renewal from September 1 to November 30.
Your Social Work England account has key information you need to practice. For example, you can apply for registration renewal, record CPD and pay your registration fees.
As a social worker, you will use this website for almost everything, from understanding what legislation impacts how you work to getting training and insights on different parts of the sector.
You’ll need an online account to be able to:
⦁ Record CPD.
⦁ Update your contact and employment details.
⦁ Create an annotation on the register. If you are a qualified AMHP and BIA .
⦁ You can log into Social Work England website to make a self-referral if any changes are detected on your practice.
⦁ Leave the register.
If you are applying to register as a social worker first time, one of the first tasks you will need to complete is creating a new account on the SW England website.
With this account, you will find out more about registration and pay your fees.
If you currently have an account on the Social Work England website, you can log into the Social Work Website to apply to restore your application.
If you have a previous account with HCPC and no longer have access to your profile, contact Social Work England by emailing [email protected]
They will retrieve your data and set up a new account for you.
What are Social Work England International Registration Requirements
To register as a social worker in England, one must have completed a recognised social work qualification and provide the following evidence of qualification:
⦁ Your social work certificate.
⦁ Name and address of your social work course provider.
⦁ Awarding body: name and address.
⦁ The transcript of the qualifications needed for international registration.
A practicing social worker registered five years ago will need to provide;
⦁ Registered body: details.
⦁ Registration number.
⦁ Registration dates.
If you are not fully qualified to practice in your home country, Social Work England requires you to provide:
⦁ Job title.
⦁ Your employer’s details.
⦁ Employment dates.
⦁ Completed training and CPD details with dates.
If You are a Qualified Non-Practising Social Worker
You will need to provide the following:
⦁ Evidence of supervised practice.
⦁ Formal study.
⦁ Private study.
Social Work England Registration Requirements: All social workers must register with Social Work England to work in England.
To apply for registration, you need to create an account. The online account allows you to:
How to Register as a Social Worker in England?
- Apply for Social Work Registration.
- Pay your registration fee.
- Report CPD.
- Renew your registration yearly.
Application Process:
When you register with the government, you will need to submit scans of your ID and proof of address documentation. You will also be asked to share details of: - Social work qualification.
- Non-protected criminal convictions.
- Any health conditions that may affect your social work practice.
- Any fitness practice determinations.
The online application process should take less than half an hour to complete. If you need to take a break, you can save and continue with the process later from your account.