Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Social Work England receives the necessary support to meet its target response times.

The government recognises the importance of Social Work England delivering timely and effective regulatory processes. An independent review of social work professional regulation, led by Dame Annie Hudson, identified the need for sustained improvement, particularly in fitness to practise. In response, the government is working with Social Work England to secure sustained improvement and has strengthened its oversight of the regulator.

Social Work England is expected to deliver a comprehensive, end-to-end fitness to practise strategic improvement plan, supported by clear milestones, delivery expectations and measures of timeliness. The department and Department for Health and Social Care are working together to jointly monitor progress through their existing sponsorship and governance arrangements and will consider whether further intervention is required if sufficient progress is not made.