Social workers reject regulator's plan to use AI for CPD
Practitioners have rejected Social Work England’s suggestion that it will use artificial intelligence (AI) to review continuing professional development (CPD) entries in future, a poll has found.
The regulator has been considering the use of AI as part of its wider reforms to the CPD process, due to go to public consultation during 2026-27.
While Social Work England has said it would continue manually sample records, it is exploring how AI could aid the CPD review process and thematically analyse submissions, stating that the existing sampling approach has “provided limited value in terms of insight into quality, content or approach”.
AI ethical implications not addressed
However, of 854 respondents to a recent Community Care poll, two-thirds (67%) said AI should not be considered while its ethical and data privacy implications remained unaddressed.
Another 22% said the technology could be used, but only with guidelines and human oversight in place.
Only 11% backed the regulator's suggestion outright, arguing it would expedite the process and provide useful insights into social workers’ learning.
Calls for national AI guidance still unanswered
There is currently no national, sector-specific guidance on the use of AI, despite repeated calls for it from social work bodies, including the British Association of Social Workers.
Research commissioned by Social Work England last year also concluded that the government, regulators and professional bodies should agree on a national approach that takes into consideration the ethical and privacy-related challenges of AI.
Regulator due to resume CPD checks
Annual CPD checks, on a sample of 2.5% of submissions, were paused in 2024 as part of Social Work England's plans to reform its approach to the issue.
However, the sampling process is now due to restart following the 2026 registration renewal period with the regulator now planning to review up to 3% of records.
The decision follows the Professional Standards Authority finding, in its 2024-25 monitoring report on Social Work England, that the regulator had failed one of its registration standards for the first time in five years - the requirement to have proportionate arrangements for assuring itself that registrants remain fit to practise.
It said the review process meant social workers had had to ensure that their CPD "would stand up to scrutiny", creating a "deterrent effect" removed by Social Work England's decision to stop the practice without putting anything comparable in its place.
