Commission for research into public perceptions and experiences in raising fitness to practise concerns

Every day, social workers support millions of people to improve their chances in life. Social Work England is a specialist body taking a new approach to regulating social workers in their vital roles. We believe in the power of collaboration and share a common goal with those we regulate - to protect the public, enable positive change and ultimately improve people's lives.

Social Work England was established under The Children and Social Work Act 2017 to be a new single-profession regulator for social workers in England. We are a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), operating at arm's length from Government. We became the regulator on 2nd December 2019.

Our purpose is to regulate social workers in England so that people receive the best possible support whenever they might need it in life. We are committed to raising standards through collaboration with everyone involved in social work. We are committed to learning about social work and to gathering data and intelligence about the profession and people's experiences. We want to make a unique contribution to the evolution of regulation, inform our work as the new specialist regulator and provide a detailed picture of social work in England. Research forms a key aspect of this goal. This research in particular will help us to make informed decisions about how we support people through our concerns process and manage our concerns effectively.

The objective of this research is to undertake a study into the perceptions and experiences of members of the public in raising a fitness to practise concern, and to study any themes within the existing data relating to concerns raised by this group. A specific objective is to explore issues relating to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within people's perceptions and experiences.