Concerns
Information about how to raise a concern about a social worker and how we deal with concerns.
Concerns overview
Before you raise a concern (for members of the public)
- What we mean by fitness to practise
- Make a complaint to a social worker's employer
- Get support to raise a concern
- If your concern is not about a social worker
- What happens after you have raised a concern
Referrals (for employers and other organisations)
- Refer a concern about an employee
- Fitness to practise guidance for employers
- Refer a concern about a social worker (other organisations)
- Emerging concerns protocol
- Our fair referral principles (new)
How we deal with concerns
- What we do when we receive a new concern
- How we investigate concerns
- What interim orders are and why we have them
- Automatic removal
- What happens after an investigation
- Case examiner decisions
- Hearings
- Voluntary removal
- Voluntary removal decisions
- What happens after a fitness to practise decision
- Power to review case examiner decisions
Detailed guidance
For social workers
- Attendance of people at fitness to practise hearings
- Communicating online: proposed guidance for social workers (proposed guidance currently in consultation)
- Early reviews
- Evidence given outside of the UK
- Fitness to practise guide
- Health concerns
- Hearings guidance for social workers
- Interim orders for social workers
- Self-represented social workers at fitness to practise hearings
- Suspended social workers
For witnesses, members of the public and employers
- Fitness to practise guidance for employers
- Hearings guidance for witnesses
- How we use personal information when considering concerns
- Supervisors and reporters
- Supporting vulnerable witnesses
How we make decisions
- Adjudicator conflicts of interest policy
- Adjudicator consensual disposal guidance
- Adjudicators making registration appeal decisions
- Case examiner guidance
- Case examiner conflicts of interest
- Decision making guidance – concerns relating to social workers communicating online (proposed guidance currently in consultation)
- Discontinuance
- Emerging concerns protocol - sharing information in relation to fitness to practise concerns
- Equality and diversity: reasonable adjustments guidance (disabilities)
- Fitness to practise conditions bank
- Fitness to practise glossary of terms
- Fitness to practise process flowchart
- Impairment and sanctions guidance
- Just disposal of transfer cases policy
- Maintaining the independence of case examiners
- Postponements and adjournments of fitness to practise hearings
- Power to review case examiner decisions (rule 12G)
- Power to review case examiner decisions (guidance for case examiners)
- Pre-hearing case management
- Referral for consideration of an interim order
- Remote hearings protocol
- Restoration to the register after removal orders
- Service of notices and proceeding in the absence of social worker
- Triage guidance
- Voluntary removal during fitness to practise proceedings
Relevant policies
- Criteria for the appointment of legal advisers
- Drink and drug driving policy
- Empanelment, scheduling and cancellation policy
- Prosecution policy
- Publications policy
- Witness expense policy