A guide to continuing professional development (CPD) for social workers: Practice Guide (2024)
Introduction
It’s important to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) to enhance your professional attributes, understanding and skills. CPD can range from attending a course to reflecting on a piece of research, practice tool or case law – anything that has had a positive impact on your practice and development.
This guide includes the updated Social Work England requirements, practical tips for completing and recording CPD, and support to use our resources to continue developing in your role.
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Promote and govern excellent practice | Developing excellent practitioners | Purposeful and effective social work | Performance management and improvement | Lead and govern excellent practice | Creating a context for excellent practice | Designing a system to support effective practice | Developing excellent practitioners | Support effective decision-making | Quality assurance and improvement | The role of social workers | Developing confident and capable social workers
PCF - Professionalism | Knowledge | Critical reflection and analysis
RCOT - Support development | Identify needs
How to record your CPD
This video provides step-by-step guidance on how to record your continuing professional development (CPD) on the Research in Practice website and upload it to Social Work England.
A CPD conversation with Social Work England: Reflecting on learning
Kate Metcalf from Social Work England, talks about the role of reflection in learning, writing an effective CPD record, and upcoming projects.
Understanding peer reflection and CPD
As part of their annual registration renewal with Social Work England, social workers need to upload a minimum of two different pieces of CPD. This blog outlines key information on peer reflection to support social workers.
