The regulator announced that social workers in England may be facing a 33% increase in initial, annual renewal, and restoration registration fees which will then rise a further 1.85% per year over the next three years.
The Social Work England (SWE) proposal to increase their fees has come as a surprise to many and both the union and professional association will be raising concerns with the English regulator. This sudden and steep proposed increase would put even more pressure onto social workers. As BASW, SWU, and UNISON have already jointly written to SWE – our members in England already pay high registration fees and cannot afford to pay more.
The social work community has had a strong, visceral reaction to this proposal. A social worker led petition on Change.org opposing the fee increase has received 2,450 signatures and counting. It argues that social workers in England already pay significantly higher fees than their peers in the other nations and that “this approach unfairly penalizes social workers for systemic issues beyond their control.”
Alongside questions raised by BASW England members, other questions that are being asked include:
- To what extent will SWE factor consultation responses into its decision?
- What steps will SWE take to ensure that increasing its fees does not cause social workers undue hardship during this cost-of-living crisis and negatively impact on recruitment of new social workers?
- What specific improvements would a SWE fee increase produce?
- If the SWE fees increase, would the regulator commit to closing the cases it inherited from HCPC – which have been ongoing for over 5 years – within a set period of time?
- Would the proposed budget increase allow SWE to guarantee that fitness to practice hearing delays – which have a current average waiting time of over 2 years – will be substantially reduced?
SWU Assistant General Secretary Calum Gallacher said:
“Thank you to our members who have made their views on this known to us. SWU agrees that a sudden 33% increase of this fee is extremely and unacceptably high, especially while the cost of living continues to rise. I am also concerned about how this will impact in terms of equality and the ongoing crisis of recruitment and retention in our profession. For example, overseas applicants would face a hike from £495 to £670 which is outrageous as it takes many people 12-24 months to save the current £495 in their national currency.
“We will continue to represent our members and share their views with the regulator. I encourage all SWU and BASW members in England to complete the Social Work England consultation survey to share your views, as well as answer the upcoming BASW England and SWU member survey on this topic.”
There is a need for recognised Trade Unions involved with the Local Government Association to be pressuring the government for a deal that is similar to the COSLA negotiation for Scottish Joint Council local government workers. A similar deal – in which registration and renewal fees that are required for staff to work are paid by their employers – would give social workers in England parity with their colleagues in Scotland and likely be appreciated as a gesture to compensate for recessive pay awards below cost of living. We are conscious that NHS staff would also need to be included in this.
How can I share my views?
Be sure to answer SWE’s “Consultation on proposals to make changes to our fees” survey by 5pm on Tuesday 13th May 2025: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/about/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-to-make-changes-to-our-fees
Register for one of BASW England’s online focus group meetings:
- Meeting 1, March 25th at 1200 – 1300: https://basw.co.uk/events/social-work-england-fee-increase-have-your-say-basw-england-event
- Meeting 2, April 17th at 1200 – 1300: https://basw.co.uk/events/social-work-england-fee-increase-have-your-say-basw-england-event
Write to your local MP to let them know how this proposed fee increase will financially impact upon you and your family.
Raise concerns with the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) which oversees the regulator for social work in England.
Engage with the BASW England and SWU survey which will be launching soon. This survey will inform our organisational views on this issue and we will communicate the results directly to SWE.
You may also be interested in watching the recent Talk to SWU workplace issues webinar recording in which our Trade Union Advice & Representation Officers answered live questions about social work regulators and the fitness to practice process: https://swu-union.org.uk/events/talk-to-swu