Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of (a) training and (b) guidance provided to social workers to support (i) fathers, (ii) mothers and (iii) other guardians of children.

​​The social work regulator, Social Work England, sets the education and training standards which all providers of initial social work education must meet, including preparing social workers to meet the Professional Standards. The current cycle of initial education inspection is expected to be completed by July 2025.

Once social workers are qualified, guidance on supporting fathers, mothers and guardians is provided in the statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.

Local authorities are responsible for the continuous professional development of their workforces, including social workers. To support child and family social workers to continuously improve their practice, the department funds professional development for around 4,000 social workers each year. The new Early Career Framework for child & family social workers will significantly extend the training and support they receive in the early stages of their career, helping to equip them with the knowledge skills they need to support children and families.