Social workers
Social Workers in England are currently regulated alongside 15 other health and care professions by the Health and Care Professions Council (‘the HCPC’). As well as maintaining a professional register, the HCPC sets profession-specific standards of proficiency and generic standards of conduct, performance and ethics, standards for continuing professional development, and standards of education and training that define recognised professional qualifications. The HCPC also investigates and takes action on complaints relating to registered professionals.
	The Act responds to reviews of social work education by Sir Martin Narey and Professor David Croisdale-Appleby by making provision to establish a specialist regulator of social workers in England: Social Work England. Social Work England role will include keeping a register of social workers in England; determining eligibility for registration; and setting professional standards and standards of education or training for those who wish to become social workers in England; and determine an individual social worker’s fitness to practice. The Act also amends existing legislation, or provides for amendments to be made, in order to transfer the function of approving courses for approved mental health professionals from the HCPC to Social Work England and in order to allow for Social Work England to specify training for best interest assessors. This is part of a wider programme of social care reform.
	The Act also makes consequential and minor amendments relating to these changes, including replacing provisions in existing legislation relating to social work training, bringing together the existing framework governing the social work profession into a single body of legislation.