Social workers

This resource provides support and practical information to councils in order to improve working practices and provide support for social workers across the UK.


The resource provides short and long-term solutions to everyday difficulties that may be faced by councils, as well as examples of best practice within the profession and guidance from peers in the profession. It can be used by teams or individuals to:

  • introduce or update practices 
  • help introduce new lines of support for workers.

There are a number of suggestions for increasing the positive profile of your council and our interactive health check - a tool to assess an organisation's effectiveness in delivering social work.

Return to social work

New return to social work programmes will be announced in the new year.

Best mentoring initiative London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Senior managers at Barking and Dagenham Council recognised that a combination of ongoing professional development and career management, alongside quality supervision, was critical in retaining social workers across the council’s children’s social work teams.

Read about their programme.