Social Work Reform Board and Health Professions Council statement

The Government announced in July 2010 that the Health Professions Council (HPC) would take over responsibility for regulating social workers in England from the General Social Care Council. Subject to legislation the transfer will take place in summer 2012. HPC joined the Social Work Reform Board (SWRB) last year and shares its vision of a ‘safe, confident future for social workers’.

HPC will develop threshold standards of proficiency for social workers as part of its statutory remit. In parallel, the SWRB has been developing professional standards for social work - the Professional Capabilities Framework, which will be owned by the College for Social Work. This will set out the skills and knowledge social workers need at different points in their careers. The HPC and the SWRB have issued a joint statement outlining how these two sets of standards relate to each other.