Introduction from the Chair
Thank you for your interest in joining the Board of Social Work England, the specialist regulator for all social workers and for social work education.
As Chair and a Board member for the last six years, my vision is that Social Work England will be at the forefront of developing social work practice that puts the protection, health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable individuals and families in our society first. To do that Social Work England must set the highest professional standards and deliver its core regulatory functions effectively and efficiently.
Our aim is for excellent social work practice and social work education to be the norm across all sectors, all ages and communities and all institutions and agencies. As someone who has worked in health and social care for 45 years, I know how important it is for those who receive services, for their families and loved ones, and for communities and wider society. Social workers can and do help to transform lives for the better, and a skilled, committed, and confident workforce requires a strong and effective regulator. Social work is important, and so the effective regulation of social work is important too.
Social Work England has a strong, cohesive Board, but as some non-executive Directors come to the end of their terms, we are seeking new, high-quality members to join us and support our strategy and further development, and to assure Government and the public that public protection and the efficient use of public resources is at the heart of our governance.
As a non-executive Board member, your abilities will be essential to our success. Strategic and constructive challenge and ideas, fiduciary oversight, and your contribution to decision making are vital in this role, alongside the ability to relate positively to Social Work England’s diverse stakeholders.
These are challenging but ultimately rewarding roles. The successful candidates will make a genuine contribution to raising standards in social work, protecting vulnerable people, and supporting the implementation of key government reform in both children’s and adult social care. If you believe you have the values, skills, experience, and commitment to undertake this role I look forward to hearing from you.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chair, Social Work England
Role description
We are looking to appoint three non-executive directors across a range of skills, including finance and commercial; data management and analytics and digital strategy; professional education experience (including continuing education) as well as those with national and non-executive director experience.
Among these three, we are looking to appoint a non-executive director with specific responsibility as Chair of the Board’s Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC).
Up to 25 days per year (+5 additional days for ARAC Chair)
There is a degree of flexibility around start dates, but we expect successful candidates to take up their positions in either April or May 2025.
Organisation description
The work social workers deliver for adults, children, and families is essential and deserves to be recognised and supported. Social Work England works closely with both the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care. It is central to many of government’s wider social work reform plans and its ambitions to secure a highly capable and highly skilled workforce.
Social Work England was established under the Children and Social Work Act 2017 to be a new single-profession regulator for all child, family and adult social workers in England. It took over regulatory responsibilities from the Health and Care Professions Council and began regulating social workers on 2 December 2019.
Based in Sheffield, Social Work England employs around 230 staff and has an operating budget in the region of £20 million, with costs met through a combination of income from registrant fees and funding from government.
Social Work England is a separate legal entity in the form of a non-departmental public body, operating at arm’s length from government. The Department for Education is its sponsor department.
It is responsible for delivering key regulatory functions in respect of social workers, including:
- setting professional standards for all social workers in England
- maintaining a register of all social workers in England
- running a fitness to practise system
- setting standards for education and training
- inspecting providers of initial social work education and training
As with other health and care regulators, Social Work England’s overarching objective is to protect the public. Its values are to be fearless, independent, transparent, ambitious, collaborative, and to act with integrity.
Social Work England is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Its
equality, diversity and inclusion action plan reflects its approach to equality, diversity and inclusion as part of its core business and demonstrates principles synonymous with being a social worker.
Social Work England is overseen by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). The PSA publishes an
annual report on the performance on each of the regulators it oversees and challenges decisions about the fitness to practise of health and care professionals if they believe that they are insufficient to protect the public.
Further information on Social Work England is available at www.socialworkengland.org.uk
Board composition
Dr Andrew McCulloch is the Chair of Social Work England. Andrew’s vision for Social Work England places the regulator at the forefront of developing social work practice that puts the protection, health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable individuals and families in our society first.
The Board consists of:
- the Chair, Andrew McCulloch
- chief Executive Officer, Colum Conway
- six non-executive directors
Each member of the Board brings a distinct set of skills and expertise. Social Work England’s Board is responsible for overseeing the full range of the organisation’s regulatory responsibilities. The Board holds the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Leadership Team to account and provides the overall strategic steer for the organisation. In addition, the Board oversees performance, the use of resources and ensures a sound system of internal control and risk management. Its responsibilities include:
- Establishing and taking forward the organisation’s strategic aims and objectives
- Ensuring compliance with any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds
- Demonstrating high standards of corporate governance at all times.
Non-executive directors provide an input to a range of organisational and operational issues and oversee the delivery of Social Work England’s functions and objectives as a specialist regulator. Equally important to contributing to Board meetings, they provide input to a variety of different Social Work England groups, meetings, and stakeholder events.
Regulation of appointment
This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the
Commissioner’s website