Shaping the future of continuing professional development (CPD)

Join the conversation to help shape the future of CPD for social work. Ahead of a consultation on the future of CPD launching in early 2027, we’re continuing our conversation with social workers and the sector. We want to hear directly from you on 3 areas that will shape the future of CPD.

Frequency – how often should CPD evidence be provided?

Should this happen every year, or over a longer cycle?

What are the benefits and risks of moving to a 3-year model?

What safeguards would be needed to make a longer renewal cycle work?

Impact – what should CPD achieve and how should impact be demonstrated?

What evidence best shows learning and development has taken place?

What does meaningful reflection look like?

How can we measure the impact of CPD on someone’s practice?

Assurance – how can we strengthen public confidence and trust in CPD?

How do we build trust and confidence in the CPD process?

What role could external moderation and other assurance mechanisms play?

What evidence best demonstrates learning and impact?

What role should employers, supervisors and peers play in supporting assurance?

How do we design an approach that is proportionate and consistent across the profession?

Why your voice matters

We’re seeking a wide range of views and experiences to help develop proposals that reflect the realities of social work practice. Your feedback will directly inform potential changes to our CPD model and help maintain public confidence in the profession.

What we'll cover

Through presentations, group discussions and facilitated workshops, participants will:

explore key findings from previous engagement activities and our recent review of CPD

identify what future CPD should achieve

consider examples from other professions regulatory models

examine options relating to:

CPD frequency and reporting cycles

demonstrating impact on practice

assurance, moderation and public confidence

What this will shape

These engagement events are an opportunity to help shape proposals on the future of CPD and ensure that any future changes reflect the experiences, needs and priorities of the social work profession.

Your feedback will help inform potential changes, including:

any changes to the cycle of recording CPD

better ways of demonstrating the impact of learning on practice

new approaches to quality assurance and assurance mechanisms.

Places are limited

Spaces will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If you cannot attend these sessions, you can still contribute through:

2 shorter online sessions

an online survey launching in November

a public consultation launching in January 2027

If you're a social worker interested in hosting a workshop for colleagues at your workplace, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact us at events@socialworkengland.org.uk to discuss the opportunity.

Please note that while we welcome all expressions of interest, we may not be able to take up every request.

Description supplied by the event organiser.