Open consultation

Proposed changes to the Social Work Bursary and the Education Support Grant - consultation document

Published 6 February 2026

Applies to England

Foreword

The Social Work Bursary (SWB) and Education Support Grant (ESG) contribute to students’ costs and developing their skills and experience on placement with employers, ensuring that following qualification, they are ready to start their careers in social work.   

Social work is vital to effective social care, enabling individuals to live their lives to the fullest. Social workers support children, families, people with learning disabilities or mental health issues, frail older people and many others across society to maximise their strengths, allowing them to work and remain active within their communities for longer. By providing care assessments, social workers provide personalised care and support, at the right time, so people can stay independent. They also ensure vital safeguarding of vulnerable and at-risk citizens. 

High-quality social workers are critical to delivering the government missions, the 10 Year Health Plan and future National Care Service, providing a necessary enabler for both the NHS and social care. They prevent people from needing hospital care and enable those who do need treatment to return home. They are essential in integrating social care into neighbourhood health, to ensure more co-ordinated care for people with complex health and care needs.  

Social workers are also crucial to the children’s social care reform programme and securing better outcomes for children and families. They help children and families to thrive and are a critical enabler of ‘keeping children safe’, a pillar of the opportunity mission - breaking the link between children’s backgrounds and their future.

Social work is about people and relationships, and it can be challenging, but it is also rewarding. That’s why we need to attract and support the right people, in the right numbers, into social work careers. We want to encourage a wide group of people to become social workers. We need social work to be understood and valued for the inspiring opportunity it offers school leavers and adult learners as they choose their academic and future career paths. The social work profession advocates for the sector and builds awareness of the role providing a platform to inspire the next generation of social workers. We need to build on that work if we are to attract a sufficient number of high-quality social work students. 

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education (DfE) fund a range of education and learning support interventions to increase the number of social workers to keep up with the increasing demand for the profession. 

Through this consultation, we want to understand views from across the sector, including current and future students, higher education institutions (HEIs) and employers on how the SWB and ESG can best support high-quality students into social work education and ultimately to have long and rewarding careers in social work. 

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State
Department of Health and Social Care

About this consultation

Through this consultation we are seeking your views on the options for the SWB and ESG in the future. The SWB and ESG were introduced in 2003 and last updated following a consultation in 2013. The SWB supports up to 4,000 students per academic year to qualify as social workers, with the ESG enabling placements to support learning for all eligible students. Since 2014, over 40,000 students have received the SWB. This consultation only covers the SWB and ESG in England. 

Our policy objective for the SWB and ESG is to secure a future workforce of high-quality social workers for adult and children’s social care, the NHS and community and voluntary sectors who are representative of the communities they work in.  

We hope to achieve this through our high-level aims which are to:  

• provide financial support through the SWB, where needed, contributing to the student’s additional costs in studying social work, helping to address barriers to accessing and completing the course
• support high-quality, practice-based learning, through the ESG, contributing to the costs of arranging and providing placements, supporting students to become newly qualified social workers who are practice-ready

While the SWB has been available for up to 4,000 students a year, there has been a decline in applications in recent years. In the academic year 2024 to 2025, only 1,700 undergraduates and 900 postgraduates applied for and received the SWB. The average bursary (dependent on location, and for postgraduates on means-testing and applicability of allowances) is £4,900 for an undergraduate and £11,200 for a postgraduate. Beyond the SWB itself, there are a range of factors that can contribute to lower enrolments on these courses, which in turn drive a lower uptake of the SWB. These include the level of awareness and perceptions of the profession and people choosing other routes to qualify as a social worker, such as apprenticeships or graduate programmes.

With HEIs reporting challenges in securing high-quality placements for social work students,^{[footnote 1]} there is demand for ESG. However, there is a concern that current ESG funding may not fully support placement needs, which could have implications for both the quality of practice learning and the overall value created through the spend. Given the tight fiscal situation, the SWB and ESG budgets have, in recent years, reduced in line with demand.

This consultation seeks to ensure that the SWB and ESG effectively meets their aims, while also needing to demonstrate the best use of potentially limited resources in the current fiscal climate.

As it is unlikely that the full 4,000 students will apply for the SWB this year, we are seeking views on how best to balance the SWB amount paid per student with the total number of students that are supported. Increasing the number of SWB recipients may reduce the individual award, which could limit support for all students, including those with greater financial need. Alternatively, targeting the SWB towards students with the highest financial need may reduce the overall number of recipients. This consultation seeks to explore the trade-offs and inform the most equitable and effective approach.

Alongside this, we want to understand views on balancing the different elements of ESG funding. We would welcome suggestions on alternative ways that ESG funding might better support high-quality, practice-based learning. 

This consultation is an opportunity to reform the approach to SWB and ESG to maximise their effectiveness in the future. 

In accordance with the Equality Act 2010, when making decisions, ministers must have ‘due regard’ in relation to protected characteristics to the need to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination
• improve equality of opportunity
• encourage good relations

The relevant protected characteristics are:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

We are taking these requirements into account when developing our proposals for the SWB and ESG, and consultation responses will be used to inform our equality impact assessment for the policy decision.  

We encourage respondents to consider any effect that changes to the SWB and ESG may have on groups who share certain protected characteristics, come from certain socioeconomic backgrounds, or have other circumstances that could potentially lead to unequal access to social work education and provision, such as living in rural areas with limited access to placements. See the ‘Equality and inclusion’ section below for a further discussion of equalities.  

Background 

Drivers of demand for social workers

Recruitment and retention of social workers is challenging. As noted in The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, in 2024 to 2025 there were 1,650 vacancies (8.8%) in adult social care and according to Children’s social work workforce statistics there were 7,200 vacancies (17.3%) for children and family social workers in local authorities. With an ageing population, living longer in ill-health, if nothing else changed, then we estimate that 8,000 additional adult social workers will be required in 2032 to 2033. 

The need for social workers is driven by transformation, innovation and government policy. New models of care, such as neighbourhood health and shifting more care from hospitals to communities, are reshaping demand. Providing personalised, proactive and joined-up health and care services that help people stay independent for as long as possible is central to keeping people well at home and living fulfilling lives within their communities. Holistic approaches, with social workers embedded in integrated neighbourhood teams, will play a vital role in achieving this vision. Additionally, Keeping children safe, helping families thrive outlines a vision for children’s social care that prioritises early intervention and family-based support, enabling social workers to concentrate on high-risk and complex cases.

Routes to qualifying as a social worker

In addition to the HEI route, students can qualify as social workers through fast-track programmes, and increasingly through apprenticeships. Skills for Care (in Apprenticeships in adult social care 2023 to 2024) reports that apprenticeships have increased from 160 (when the programme started in the 2018 to 2019 academic year) to 1,060 in 2022 to 2023.

In addition to the bursary, DHSC and DfE have provided funding for level 6 social work apprenticeship degrees, covering costs not supported by the apprenticeship levy, and fast-track programmes such as Approach Social Work and Step up to social work.

DHSC internal review

DHSC conducted an internal review of the SWB and ESG in late autumn 2024, engaging partners across the social work sector. Tailored surveys were distributed to active and former social work students, employers and HEIs, with 746 active students, 30 former students, 51 employers and 66 HEIs responding. Surveys included a mixture of closed and free-text questions.

Data from free-text questions were analysed using a mixture of manual human review and automated data science techniques (topic modelling) to identify important themes where there were a large number of responses.

The surveys explored awareness and effectiveness of the SWB and ESG, and their influence on student outcomes.

Findings highlighted that both functions are valued but raised concerns about targeting and effectiveness in supporting students financially. Postgraduate students reported that the SWB was a motivation to study social work but could be more effective in offering financial support. On ESG, HEIs commented that securing practice placements was difficult due to system-wide capacity issues. 

Post-16 education and skills white paper

DfE’s Post-16 education and skills white paper announced a series of measures to strengthen our higher education sector and help students from disadvantaged backgrounds progress and excel in their studies. 

Undergraduate tuition fee caps for all HEIs will increase in line with forecast inflation in financial years 2026 to 2027 and 2027 to 2028. The government will then legislate when parliamentary time allows to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years and will make future fee uplifts conditional on a higher quality threshold through the Office for Students’ quality regime. 

The maintenance loan offer for undergraduates will be future proofed by increasing loans in line with forecast inflation every academic year. This will ensure that students from the lowest income families receive the largest year-on-year cash increases in support and provide students with long-term certainty on the financial support they will receive while studying. Care leavers will automatically become eligible to receive the maximum rate of maintenance loan.

Additionally, the government will reintroduce targeted, means-tested maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament. The grants will support students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy.

From January 2027, the lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) will transform the post-18 student finance system, replacing higher education Student Finance England (SFE) loans and advanced learner loans for level 4, 5 and 6 qualifications. Under the LLE, learners will be able to access a tuition fee loan of up to £38,140 - equal to 4 years of study based on academic year 2025 to 2026 fee rates, and a maintenance loan to cover living costs, for courses with in-person attendance.

Certain priority qualifications, including social work, are entitled to priority additional entitlement. Priority additional entitlement will give learners whose LLE balance is £0 tuition fee loans to complete their course. It will also come with the usual maintenance and repayment terms. The LLE does not cover level 7 postgraduate degrees. 

This consultation considers the level of the undergraduate SWB that is appropriate alongside the SFE offer, and whether this bursary support should become means-tested. We continue to work closely with DfE on student support and will ensure our response to the consultation takes into account the evolving higher education landscape. 

Social Work Bursary: current arrangements 

This section outlines the current eligibility criteria and entitlements for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. 

To apply for the SWB, students need to:

• normally live in England and be an English resident on the first day of their first academic year
• have normally been a resident in any UK country, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 3 years before the start of their course
• be studying a course that leads to a first registration in social work
• be studying a university based social work course approved by either:
  • Social Work England (SWE)
  • Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
  • Social Care Wales
  • Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)

Depending on a student’s residency status in the UK when they start their course, additional residency rules may apply. Social work students only receive the SWB if they meet both the residency and course criteria, and their university nominates them for a place. 

Placement Travel Allowance

The Placement Travel Allowance (PTA) is a payment of £862.50 a year to help students meet the costs of travel to placements. For students who are in receipt of the SWB, PTA is automatically included. Non-SWB students who meet the residency and course criteria will still be eligible to receive a PTA. 

The current SWB rates translate into an average payment, depending on eligibility for allowances of:

• £11,200 for postgraduate students
• £4,900 for undergraduate students (plus access to up to £13,762 in loans for living costs and up to £9,535 for tuition fees from SFE for the 2025 to 2026 academic year)

Undergraduates

For undergraduates, the SWB can provide support with additional living costs and travel to practice placements. The SWB is available for the final 2 years of study (full-time courses are usually 3 years for a full-time student, or the part-time equivalent). For the academic year 2025 to 2026, the available funding is:

• £4,862.50 outside London
• £5,262.50 inside London

Student support from SFE is available for eligible undergraduate students undertaking their first degree, even if they also receive the SWB. These loans cover tuition fees (up to £9,535 for a standard full-time course for academic year 2025 to 2026) and a contribution towards living costs support through partially means-tested loans for living costs, with additional means-tested grants for those who have child or adult dependants and non-means-tested Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) for full-time and part-time students with disabilities.  

Postgraduates

Support from the SWB is available to postgraduate students for both years of full-time study and provides support for:

• living costs
• travel to practice placement
• tuition fees
• additional allowances - for example, where a student has a child or adult dependant or is disabled

Postgraduate students in receipt of any element of the SWB, except the PTA, are not eligible for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from SFE (up to £12,858 per course for students starting courses in the academic year 2025 to 2026). Postgraduates who are not eligible for the SWB can apply separately for the PTA of £862.50. 

Table 1: postgraduate SWB funding available for the 2025 to 2026 academic year

Element	Type	Amount
SWB (non-income assessed) (London)	Full-time student	Up to £3,762.50
SWB (non-income assessed) (outside London)	Full-time student	Up to £3,362.50
SWB (non-income assessed)	Part time student	Up to pro-rata of full-time rate
Tuition fee contribution	Not applicable	£4,052
Income assessed SWB (London)	Full-time student	Up to £4,201
Income assessed SWB (outside London)	Full-time student	Up to £2,721
Income assessed SWB	Part-time student	Up to pro-rata of full-time rate
Income assessed allowances	Adult Dependants Allowance	£2,757
Income assessed allowances	Parents’ Learning Allowance	£1,573
Income assessed allowances	Childcare (1 child)	Weekly £155.24
Income assessed allowances	Childcare (2 children or more)	Weekly £266.15
DSAs	Specialist equipment	Up to £5,212
DSAs	Non-medical helper	Up to £20,725
DSAs	General allowance	Up to £1,741
PTA for a non-SWB recipient	Not applicable	£862.50

Similar grants and allowances are available to undergraduates through SFE, but these have been increased by forecast inflation each year since the 2017 to 2018 academic year and are approximately 30% higher than the current postgraduate SWB rates listed above.

Income assessment criteria

For students on approved social work courses, any postgraduate income above £8,473 and taxable income above £20,868 from their spouse, partner or civil partner is counted as an assessed contribution and will reduce the income assessed bursary.

However, each dependent child reduces the assessed contribution by £92. Parental income is not considered during income assessment.

If the household includes any adult dependants who are not the student’s partner, the dependants’ net taxable income must not exceed £3,796 for the current academic year. If it does, then the adult dependants’ income will form part of the assessed contribution.

Additionally, income assessed SWB rates for 2025 to 2026 vary by location, with students in London eligible for up to £4,201 and those outside London up to £2,721, with part-time students receiving a pro-rata amount. 

SWB equivalents in the devolved nations

This consultation only covers the SWB in England. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have their own funding in place to support the qualification of high-quality social workers. For context, we have summarised the current bursaries available in England and in the devolved nations below. 

England

Undergraduate bursary:

• non-means-tested: £4,862.50 outside London or £5,262.50 inside London
• 2,500 bursaries available

Postgraduate bursary:

• average payment of £11,200 including components for SWB and tuition fee
• includes some elements that vary based on means testing, plus allowances based on placement travel
• 1,500 bursaries available

Northern Ireland

Undergraduate bursary:

• non-means-tested: £4,000
• additional £500 on a case-by-case basis for work-based learning expenses
• funding offered for 260 new full-time students each academic year

Postgraduate bursary: no equivalent.

Wales

Undergraduate bursary:

• non-means-tested: £3,750
• practice learning costs are reimbursed through the Practice Learning Allowance (no upper limit)
• 145 bursaries

Postgraduate bursary:

• non-means-tested: £12,715
• practice learning costs are reimbursed through the Practice Learning Allowance (no upper limit)
• 82 bursaries available

Scotland

Undergraduate bursary:

• no specific social work support beyond standard student loans
• Practice Learning Support Grant: £750 and up to £2,000 for exceptional travel and accommodation costs per year for eligible students with an assessed practice learning opportunity in-year

Postgraduate bursary:

• £11,000 for students with a household income under £34,000
• postgraduates with a higher income than this can still apply for Scottish postgraduate support offering
• Scottish postgraduate support offering is complemented by a suite of discretionary allowances
• 250 bursaries available
• Practice Learning Support Grant: £750 and up to £2,000 for exceptional travel and accommodation costs per year for eligible students with an assessed practice learning opportunity in-year

Social Work Bursary: proposals

This section explores the central themes of the consultation and the policy decisions they relate to. Feedback on these themes and the consultation questions will inform the policy options and eventual decision, making best use of the available funding to meet the policy objective and SWB high-level aims (see ‘About this consultation’). 

The consultation asks for views on:

• the balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students
• whether the SWB should be income assessed
• whether there should be a social work specific hardship fund for students on HEI courses
• whether the support for disabled students and students with children or adult dependants should change
• whether there any groups of people who could be positively or negatively affected by any of the potential changes to the SWB
• alternative uses of the SWB budget

The accompanying impact assessment provides further detail on how these choices might be translated into the specific options. The options in the impact assessment are by no means exhaustive, but their inclusion, illustrating the number of students and bursaries that might be available under different scenarios, provides additional information on the effects, benefits and costs. It may be useful to refer to this when considering the consultation questions.

The balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students 

There are essential differences in the funding available to social work undergraduates and postgraduates, which can affect their decision on whether to study. Student loans covering tuition fees and living costs (partially means-tested) are available to support undergraduates studying for their first degree, with additional allowances from SFE for students with a disability or those who have child or adult dependants.

For undergraduates, the SWB is paid in addition to their student loan. In contrast, postgraduate students face more limited options: the Master’s Loan covers a smaller proportion of costs, and those receiving the SWB are not eligible for a Master’s Loan, likely making the SWB a more critical source of funding. 

In responses to the DHSC internal review, 73% of HEI respondents indicated that the SWB encouraged potential students to apply for a social work degree. Of the students surveyed, the availability of the SWB influenced 55% of postgraduates’ decisions to study social work, compared with 15% of undergraduates. Compared with undergraduate respondents, a larger proportion of postgraduates expressed a view in their free-text answers that the SWB is essential, and a larger proportion expressed that they were experiencing financial hardship.

With course numbers declining over the last 4 years, the number of postgraduates enrolling on social work courses who are eligible for the SWB (based on residency and appropriate course) has also reduced by 50% compared with a 23% drop in undergraduates. One option we are consulting on therefore is whether to allocate a larger proportion of the SWB funding to postgraduates.  

In the DHSC internal review, 89% of undergraduates and 69% of postgraduates surveyed said the SWB supported them to complete their degree. Skills for Care analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data shows that around 13% of social work students do not complete their degree. In DHSC’s internal review, 56% of HEIs surveyed reported that financial challenges were a main reason for undergraduate students not completing their social work degree, rising to 76% for postgraduates. Other reasons cited frequently included personal reasons, emotional and mental stress and academic demands. 

Considerations around placements 

The practice placement component of the qualification means that social work students experience additional travel costs and have limited capacity to undertake part-time employment as they maximise their learning from the mandatory practice placements. 

Travel to practice placements

All social work students are required to undertake 2 practice placements to qualify as a social worker. As with other elements of the bursary, the PTA has not changed since 2012 and 62% of students surveyed said it was not sufficient to cover travel costs. This issue is particularly acute for students in rural areas, where placements may involve longer and more complex journeys, often with limited public transport options. A potential course of action could be to reimburse actual travel costs, similar to the approach taken by the NHS Learning Support Fund, which would ensure funding is more closely aligned with students’ real travel needs. It may be necessary to limit the total amount available per student. 

Reduced ability to work while on placement 

Part-time work can be a positive experience, developing skills and preparing students for their careers. However, for some students the decision to work is driven by financial need. Students studying social work may be less able to carry out part-time work than some other students while they are undertaking their required practice placement days. Nevertheless, in the DHSC internal review 55% of postgraduate students said they worked part-time while studying for their social work degree.   

The Student Academic Experience Survey 2025 shows that university students are more likely to undertake paid work if they have experience of being in care, care for others, are in their fourth year or higher, or commute more than 10 miles. The survey provides estimates of hours worked per week. Extrapolating from this and assuming the National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour can help us estimate the potential loss of earnings for social work students of £1,000 to £4,000 per year (on 5 to 20 hours per week), with an average loss of earnings of £2,720. High levels of part-time work while studying could affect academic performance and readiness for practice as students attempt to balance this against both full-time study and practice placement requirements. 

Whether the SWB should be income assessed

We need to decide how we allocate support to social work students. We therefore want to consider whether the amount per student or which students receive the SWB should reflect financial need, supporting students who may otherwise be unable to study social work. Currently, the SWB allocated to undergraduates is not subject to income assessment. In contrast, the SWB allocated to postgraduates includes an income assessed component, which accounts for 27% of a student’s SWB outside London and 35% within London. A significant minority of students in the DHSC internal review reported in their free-text responses that they saw the SWB as a necessity, without which they would not be able to complete their studies.

In addition, 85% of undergraduates and 45% of postgraduates surveyed reported that the SWB was not a significant factor in them choosing to study social work, suggesting that for most undergraduates and some postgraduates, the absence of the SWB might not affect their decision to study social work.  

We would therefore like feedback on whether all or some of the SWB should be means-tested, especially for undergraduates, so that it targets students for whom the SWB is likely to be a deciding factor in whether to study and complete their social work degree.

Whether there should be a social work specific hardship fund for students on HEI courses

Some students surveyed in the DHSC internal review said that while the SWB supported them financially, it was not sufficient, and they were still in financial hardship. This view was more prevalent in free-text responses from postgraduates, compared with those from undergraduates. 

I would not have been able to complete the degree without the bursary […] however this year I am struggling slightly as it is not enough.

Student response to the survey

Hardship payments paid by HEIs may be available for students, including those on social work courses, who are undergoing hardship and have exhausted all other options. Hardship payments typically range from £100 to £3,000 and are means-tested. Other DHSC bursary schemes, such as the Learning Support Fund for healthcare students, supplement this wider offer. Using some of the SWB budget to introduce a hardship fund for cases where other hardship routes have been exhausted would support the aim of providing financial support to address barriers to accessing and completing the course. A hardship fund could be targeted towards students who applied for and were eligible for the bursary but did not receive one, or it could also be available to students in receipt of the bursary.  

However, if we were to introduce a hardship fund within the same budget, then the number of students that could receive the SWB would reduce. To illustrate this choice, a hardship fund paying on average £2,000 to 500 students would cost £1 million. Based on current SWB rates, that is the equivalent of 100 undergraduate or 45 postgraduate bursaries. 

Whether the support for disabled students and students with children or adult dependants should change

Full-time undergraduate students with child or adult dependants can apply for a means-tested Adult Dependants’ Grant, childcare grants and Parents’ Learning Allowance from SFE. While full-time and part-time social work postgraduate students in receipt of the SWB can apply for similar allowances through the SWB, these are not generally available to part-time undergraduate or part or full-time postgraduate students through SFE.

Full-time and part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students with disabilities can apply for a non-means-tested DSA through SFE. However, postgraduate students in receipt of the SWB (except for the PTA) are not eligible for DSA through SFE, so this is also included within the SWB. 

Over the last 5 years, the use of postgraduate allowances under the SWB for students with adult dependants, childcare responsibilities or disabilities has remained stable. A significant minority of students receive these allowances - for example, the Adult Dependants Allowance went to 6% of postgraduate bursary recipients (average spend per student of £2,300), Childcare Allowance to 14% (average: £5,800) and 7% of students received the DSA for specialist equipment (average: £2,200). In line with other elements of the SWB, the rates paid for allowances (which except for DSAs are income assessed) have not increased year on year. These allowances are now almost 30% lower than the equivalent paid to undergraduate students through SFE.  

In addition, the DSA provided through SFE states that students can get up to £27,783 per year (for the 2025 to 2026 academic year) to cover their needs, whereas the SWB currently provides 3 separate DSA allowances (up to £27,678 in total). Both routes are needs assessed. 

Equitable access

Financially, the SWB is currently non-means-tested for undergraduates. The postgraduate SWB contains some means-tested elements, which can help reduce barriers for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The inclusion of support for travel and parental responsibilities further enhances accessibility. 

One of the main aims of the SWB is to contribute to the student’s additional costs in studying social work, where necessary, helping address barriers to accessing and completing the course. To support this, HEIs are advised to assure themselves of the overall fairness and consistency of decision making (including consideration of the public sector equality duty and the Equality Act 2010) when nominating students for the SWB. In terms of allocating capped places, the DHSC internal review found that, in line with national guidance, academic performance was the most frequently used criteria, with 55% of undergraduate and 37% of postgraduate students being selected, at least in part, based on their academic performance. Only a small minority of HEIs said that financial need was considered when allocating bursaries. 

This consultation asks if there are any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or socioeconomic background, who could be positively or negatively affected by any of the potential changes to the SWB.

Alternative use of the SWB budget 

The bursary has supported over 40,000 students to become social workers. However, as is usual when exploring policy options, it is important to:

• understand the extent to which respondents agree that the bursary should continue
• understand the impact of discontinuing
• explore whether there are alternative, more effective, uses of the budget

In exploring these consultation questions, respondents should consider the aim of providing financial support to students, where it is needed, and securing a future workforce of high-quality social workers. 

Education Support Grant: current arrangements

This consultation also seeks respondents’ views on potential changes to the ESG. To provide context for the ESG consultation questions, this section includes information on the current allowances in the ESG and the rates of pay, and equivalents in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. DHSC funds the ESG on behalf of both DHSC and DfE. ESG funding is available to all eligible degree students, not just those in receipt of the SWB.

To qualify as a social worker, both undergraduate and postgraduate students must undertake 200 days of statutory and non-statutory practice learning placements, up to 30 of which can be skills development days. The ESG provides funding to HEIs and employers to assist with planning and running this practice-based learning. HEIs can use the funding to cover all students on eligible courses, not just those in receipt of the SWB.

Funding for the ESG also supports HEIs to involve people who draw on care and support and unpaid carers in the development and provision of the social work courses. The aim of this is to root courses in the reality of the social work landscape and ensure newly qualified social workers have the necessary knowledge, understanding and experience of working with the groups they serve to do their jobs well.  

The purpose of each element of the funding is:

• student fee: contributes to the costs of planning, providing and assessing the practice placement and skills development days (items 1 and 2 in table 2 below)
• HEI administration fee: contributes to administrative costs incurred in planning practice placements and distributing practice learning funding to placement providers or agencies
• funding for the involvement of people who use services and carers: contributes to the costs of involving people who use services and carers in the development, design and provision of social work degree courses

Table 2: ESG funding breakdown

Item	Rates	Approximate % of ESG budget	Paid to
Practice placement days (student fee)	£20 per student per day	81%	Placement provider or agency through the HEI
Skills development days (student fee)	£10 per student per day	8%	Placement provider or agency through the HEI
HEI administration fee	£2 per student per day	8%	HEI
Service user and carer involvement in the development and provision of the social degrees	£7,400 per HEI	3%	HEI, who can then choose to give direct payments or reimburse costs for service users and carers.

ESG equivalents in the devolved nations

This consultation only covers the ESG in England. There is no direct equivalent to the ESG in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However, the below can be used to draw a comparison between the ESG in England and similar available funding in the devolved nations.

England

Current ESG funding:

• £20 per day to fund practice placement days
• £10 per day for skills development days
• £2 per day for HEI administration
• £7,400 per HEI to fund the involvement of people who use services and carers

Northern Ireland

Current funding:

• Northern Ireland’s health and social care trusts are commissioned by the Department of Health (DoH) to provide 85% to 90% of practice placements
• the remainder are provided by probation, education authorities and the voluntary sector
• DoH also provides a small allocation for HEIs towards service user involvement in teaching programmes

Scotland

SSSC funds £28 per day per student for practice learning and £2 for admin fees (between £18,000 and £40,000 per HEI per year) to support the administration of placement matching and provision of the placement itself.

SSSC expects HEIs to build relationships with stakeholders, service users and carers to share best practice and continuous improvement. The Scottish Government does not provide specific funding for this purpose.

Wales

Funding to local authorities:

• £20 per day per student
• administration fee of £300 per student for arranging placements

The ‘People Using Services and Carers Scheme’ to HEIs:

• £5,000 per year
• an additional £100 per new student enrolled that year

Education Support Grant: proposals

The aim of the ESG is to support high-quality, practice-based learning, contributing to the costs of arranging and providing placements, helping students to become newly qualified social workers who are practice-ready. 

This consultation seeks to consider if the ESG is essential for this aim to be met and, if so, whether it is sufficient to support the availability and high-quality of practice placements - ultimately contributing to the development of high-quality social workers. It also considers what ESG should pay for and how the ESG should be allocated.

The central themes are therefore:  

• whether the ESG is effective
• the balance between the different elements of the ESG
• alternative uses and ways of allocating the ESG
• the balance of funding between the SWB and the ESG

Feedback on these themes and the consultation questions will inform our future approach to make best use of the available ESG funding.

The impact assessment which accompanies this consultation document considers:

• the number of students supported by ESG
• the cost and benefit of apportioning ESG by the number of social work students enrolled compared with those that are in receipt of the SWB
• the impact of changes to the number of students within a fixed or variable budget
• the option to stop (as is usual in impact assessments)

The impact assessment suggests that from these options, the highest cost and benefit is derived from continuing to support all eligible enrolled students. 

Sufficient high-quality placements are an important aspect of social work education and the readiness of students to be a social worker. 

ESG effectiveness 

The DHSC internal review found that employers valued the ESG, with 86% of employers surveyed agreeing that they often recruit students who have undertaken placements with their organisation. Over half of HEIs (55%) who responded said it was difficult or very difficult to secure high-quality practice placements, with 59% citing practice educator capacity as a challenge.

With much of the load falling to local authorities, the capacity of the social work profession to support sufficient practice-based learning across all the education routes into social work was reported to be stretched. However, the challenges to placements also include factors beyond ESG.

Other challenges included:

• securing placements in the right place for social work students (many of whom cannot drive or do not have access to a car)
• the capacity of employers, especially local authorities, to support placements

HEIs surveyed in the DHSC internal review fed back that securing high-quality placements was becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, it is important to assess if the ESG is sufficiently supporting access to placements. 

The balance between the ESG components

Given the tight fiscal situation, in recent years the SWB and ESG budgets have reduced in line with demand.  

While the ESG currently covers the cost of arranging placements and skills development days and service user involvement, this consultation asks for views on whether each area of the ESG should continue, and if this should be at the same rates. 

The ESG funding is currently spilt into:

• a contribution for practice placements days (81% of the budget)
• skills development days (8%)
• a contribution to fund administration of these 2 activities (8%)
• a grant to fund service user and carer involvement in course design (3%)

In DHSC’s internal review, HEIs reported that the ESG helps protect social work courses when universities face organisation-wide financial pressures and are looking for savings. This is because social work courses carry additional costs, including required service user involvement and facilitating practice placements.

Two-thirds (65%) of respondents to the DHSC internal review who were involved with the administration fee believed the ESG contribution covered less than 40% of their administration costs. Over 70% of respondents estimated that the ESG funding for carer and user involvement contributed to more than 60% of their costs. However, these collectively represent 11% of ESG spend with the majority of the spend focused on practice-based learning. Students are often placed with local authorities and capacity issues in supervising students have already been noted.  

Alternative uses and ways of allocating the ESG

This consultation provides an opportunity to suggest different ways to use all or part of the ESG budget to meet the aim of providing sufficient high-quality practice placements and asks whether there are better ways to allocate the ESG. For example, are there economies of scale that should be considered, or would a per student or per employer rate be more appropriate? An outcomes-based approach could also be considered, with a budget for each local area, and discretion on how to use and distribute funds. 

The balance of funding between the SWB and the ESG

An option to maximise the value of the total funding would be to consider the balance of spend across the SWB and ESG. For every £1 million transferred from the SWB, ESG payments to HEIs and employers could increase by approximately 7%, which could improve access to high-quality practice placements. Alternatively, £1 million transferred from the ESG to SWB could, on current rates, fund an additional 100 undergraduate or 45 postgraduate students. 

Views on how to ensure that the ESG is fit for purpose and achieves value for money are welcome. 

How to respond

Respond using the online survey. 

Do not provide personal data when responding to free-text survey questions. Any personal data included will be removed before analysis of these responses and will therefore not be considered in the consultation outcome. 

The consultation is open for 8 weeks and will close at 11:59pm on 7 April 2026.

If you have any queries on this consultation, contact socialworkconsultation@dhsc.gov.uk. Do not send your consultation answers or any personal information to this email address.

Consultation questions

About you

In what capacity are you responding to this survey?

• An individual sharing my personal views (including social work students)
• An individual sharing my professional views (including current social workers and people working in higher education)
• On behalf of an organisation

Questions for individuals sharing their personal or professional views

The survey is only open to individuals who live in the UK.

Where do you live in the UK?

• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland
• I live outside the UK

Selecting ‘I live outside the UK’ will end the survey.

If you live in England, which area of England do you live in? (Optional)

• North East England
• North West England
• Yorkshire and the Humber
• East of England
• East Midlands
• West Midlands
• South East England
• South West England
• London

Are you a current or prospective social work student? By ‘prospective’ student we mean anyone considering or in the process of applying for an undergraduate or postgraduate social work course. (Optional)

• Yes, I am a current student
• Yes, I am a prospective student
• No

If you are a prospective student, are you planning to study at an undergraduate or postgraduate level? (Optional)

• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate
• Both undergraduate and postgraduate
• Don’t know

Questions for current social work students

Are you currently studying social work at an undergraduate or postgraduate level? (Optional)

• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate
• Don’t know
• Other, please specify

If you are an undergraduate student, are you planning to study social work at a postgraduate level as well? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

When do you intend to graduate? (Optional)

• September 2025 to August 2026
• September 2026 to August 2027
• September 2027 to August 2028
• September 2028 to August 2029
• Later than August 2029
• Don’t know

Are you in paid employment alongside your studies? (Optional)

• Yes
• No, but looking for work
• No, and not looking for work

Excluding anything you do as part of your studies or paid employment, do you look after, or give any help and support to, anyone because they have long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses, or problems related to old age? Please think about care for family or friends. (Optional)

• Yes, 9 hours a week or less
• Yes, 10 to 19 hours a week
• Yes, 20 to 34 hours a week
• Yes, 35 to 49 hours a week
• Yes, 50 or more hours a week
• No

Compared with people in general, would you describe yourself as coming from a lower socioeconomic background? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

Are there any children or adults who are financially dependent on you? (Optional)

• Yes, children
• Yes, adults
• Yes, both
• No, neither

Are you in receipt of the SWB? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

Questions for individuals sharing their personal or professional views

Are you currently registered as a social worker (even if this is not your primary profession)? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

Which type of organisation are you employed by? (Optional)

• Higher education institution
• Local authority
• NHS
• Private, voluntary or independent organisation
• Representative body
• Other, please specify
• Not applicable

Which of these best describes your current area of work? If you have multiple jobs, please select the area you spend the most of your time working in. (Optional)

• Frontline social work services (adults or children)
• Policy
• Academic
• Administration
• Management
• Other, please specify
• Not applicable

Which groups do you primarily work with? (Optional)

• Children and families
• Adults
• Other, please specify
• Not applicable

What is your age? (Optional)

• Under 18
• 18 to 19
• 20 to 21
• 22 to 25
• 26 to 35
• 36 to 45
• 46 to 55
• 56 to 65
• 66 or over
• Prefer not to say

What is your sex? (Optional)

• Male
• Female
• Prefer not to say

Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Prefer not to say

What is your ethnic group? (Optional)

• White - includes British, Northern Irish, Irish, Gypsy, Irish Traveller, Roma or any other White background
• Mixed or multiple ethnic groups - includes White and Black Caribbean, White and Black African, White and Asian or any other Mixed or multiple background
• Asian or British Asian - includes Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese or any other Asian background
• Black, Black British, Caribbean, African or any other Black background
• Other - includes Arab or any other ethnic group
• Prefer not to say

Do you have any physical or mental health conditions, disabilities or illnesses lasting or expected to last for 12 months or more? 

This is about health conditions, illnesses or impairments you may have. Consider conditions that always affect you and those that flare up from time to time. These may include, for example, sensory conditions, developmental conditions or learning impairments. (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Prefer not to say

If you answered ‘yes’, do any of your conditions or illnesses reduce your ability to carry out day-to-day activities? (Optional)

• Yes, a lot
• Yes, a little
• Not at all
• Prefer not to say

Have you, or has anyone in your immediate family, ever drawn on support from social work services? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Questions for organisations

The survey is only open to organisations who operate or provide services in the UK.

Where does your organisation operate or provide services? Select all that apply.

• England
• Wales
• Scotland
• Northern Ireland
• The whole of the UK
• Outside the UK

Selecting only ‘Outside the UK’ will end the survey.

What type of organisation are you responding on behalf of? (Optional)

• Higher education institution
• Local authority
• Other provider of social work services
• Trade union
• NHS trust
• Students’ union
• Charity
• Other representative body of social workers or social work students
• Other, please specify

What is the name of your organisation? (Optional)

The balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students

Currently, postgraduate students make up 29% of all SWB students and receive 48% of all SWB funding. However, postgraduate students in receipt of the SWB are not eligible for a Master’s Loan, while undergraduate students do have access to loans and allowances through SFE.

Further information is available in the sections of the consultation document on the balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students and considerations around placements.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with increasing the overall proportion of SWB funding that is allocated towards postgraduate students?

This question relates only to the SWB funding. Increasing funding to postgraduate students would likely mean decreasing the funding allocated to undergraduate students (and the other way around) or reducing the number of students supported. (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

If we did not increase the proportion of SWB funding that is allocated towards postgraduate students, which of these options would you prefer? (Optional)

• Allocate all SWB funding to undergraduate students, discontinuing the bursary for postgraduate students (postgraduates would still be able to apply for student finance)
• Increase the proportion of SWB funding allocated to undergraduate students, but maintain a reduced bursary for postgraduate students
• Keep the proportion of SWB funding allocated to undergraduate and postgraduate students the same
• Don’t know
• Other, please specify

If we increased the proportion of the SWB funding that is allocated towards postgraduate students, which of these options would you prefer? (Optional)

• Allocate all SWB funding to postgraduate students, discontinuing the bursary for undergraduates (undergraduates would still be able to apply for student finance)
• Increase the proportion of SWB funding allocated to postgraduate students, but maintain a reduced SWB for undergraduate students
• Keep the proportion of SWB funding allocated to undergraduate and postgraduate students the same
• Don’t know
• Other, please specify

Please explain your answers to the above questions. (Optional, maximum 500 words)

Travel to practice placements

The Placement Travel Allowance (PTA) is currently allocated to recipients of the SWB as part of their total SWB, and to non-SWB students who meet the residency and course criteria.

It is currently allocated as a flat rate to all recipients.

See the ‘Travel to practice placements’ section in the consultation document for more information.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that we should move to a process of reimbursing actual travel costs (up to a limited amount)? (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Whether the SWB should be means-tested

Currently, no element of the undergraduate SWB is allocated based on financial need. If, following this consultation, the government decides to continue with the undergraduate SWB, some or all of it could be income assessed and allocated based on greatest financial need.

Which of the following options would you be most supportive of for the undergraduate SWB? You will have opportunity to give us any alternative suggestions or preferences in the free-text box following this question. (Optional)

• Keep the undergraduate SWB as is, without income assessment
• Make some but not all of the undergraduate funding income assessed
• Make all undergraduate SWB funding income assessed, allocating it to those with the greatest financial need
• Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Postgraduate SWB

Currently, the postgraduate SWB includes:

• non-income assessed elements worth up to £7,414.50 (£7,814.50 in London), including a tuition fee contribution
• income assessed elements worth up to £2,721 (£4,201 in London)

Postgraduate students are also eligible for allowances based on disability and income assessed allowances for financial dependants.

Which of the following options would you be most supportive of for the postgraduate SWB? You will have opportunity to give us any alternative suggestions or preferences in the free-text box following this question. (Optional)

• Remove income assessment from the postgraduate SWB entirely
• Reduce the proportion of income assessed funding, but do not remove it entirely
• Keep the proportions of income assessed and non-income assessed funding about the same as they are now
• Increase the proportion of income assessed funding, but maintain a non-income assessed element
• Make all postgraduate SWB funding income assessed
• Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional)

Whether there should be a social work specific hardship fund for students on HEI courses

A fund could be made available to support social work students going through financial hardship who have exhausted all other funding sources. The typical range for hardship payments is £100 to £3,000, subject to an assessment of need.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with introducing a hardship fund for social work students who have exhausted all other funding sources, even if it means reducing the funding available for bursaries? (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

If a hardship fund was introduced, which group or groups of students do you think should be able to apply for it? Select all groups that you think should be able to apply. (Optional)

• Students in receipt of the SWB
• Students who applied for the SWB and met the criteria but did not receive it (for example, because the HEI had already used its full quota of bursaries)
• Students not in receipt of the SWB (either because they were ineligible or didn’t apply)
• Don’t know

Please explain your answers to the above questions. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Support for students with disabilities and/or financial dependants

One of the potential courses of action we are consulting on is whether funding should be more targeted to support students with disabilities and/or financial dependants. See the ‘Whether the support for disabled students and students with children or adult dependants should change’ section of the consultation document for more information.

Currently, undergraduate students can access the general pool of disability and dependants’ allowances from SFE. Postgraduate students have access to additional funding from the SWB to cover adult dependants, childcare and disabilities.

See the consultation document for more information on current rates.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proportion of SWB funding to support postgraduate students with disabilities should be increased? (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proportion of SWB funding to support postgraduate students with financial dependants should be increased? (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

 Alternative uses of the SWB budget

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the SWB should continue? (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

If the SWB was discontinued, what effect do you think this would have on our ability to address barriers to accessing and completing social work courses? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, if the SWB was discontinued, what effect would this have on your organisation? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

If you are a current or prospective student, to what extent do you agree or disagree that you would choose or have chosen to study social work if the SWB had not been available to you? (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

To what extent do you agree or disagree that there are alternative ways that some or all of the SWB budget could be more effectively used to achieve its objective? This would mean the SWB would be reduced or discontinued. (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

How else could the budget be used? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Equalities

We are interested in understanding the potential effects of SWB reforms on groups who share protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

We are also interested in understanding how reforms could affect people who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. 

Are there any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or a socioeconomic background, who you believe would be positively affected by any of the potential changes to the SWB? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the groups you think would be positively affected, and how. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Are there any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or a socioeconomic background, who you believe would be negatively affected by any of the potential changes to the SWB? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the groups you think would be negatively affected, and how. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Education Support Grant

The following section asks about the ESG, which supports organisations to support practice placements for social work students.

Would you like to answer questions about the ESG?

• Yes
• No

ESG effectiveness

See the relevant section in the consultation document for more information.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the ESG is necessary to support high-quality, practice-based learning? (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the ESG currently provides enough funding for your organisation to support practice placements? (Optional)

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

If the ESG was discontinued, what effect do you think this would have on our ability to facilitate and support high-quality, practice-based learning? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation or sharing your professional views, does your organisation or employer currently receive the ESG? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, if the ESG was discontinued, what effect would this have on your organisation? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The balance between the ESG components

The ESG funding is currently spilt into:

• a contribution for skills development days
• a contribution for practice placements days
• a contribution to fund administration for these 2 activities
• a grant to fund service user and carer involvement in course design

For each of these elements, please indicate whether you think the proportion of funding should discontinue entirely, decrease, remain the same or increase.

These questions are asking about the proportion of ESG spending, not monetary amounts. If you think one element should have a higher proportion of the total ESG funding, then at least one other element should have a lower proportion.

Skills development days (currently 8% of ESG funding). (Optional)

• Discontinue entirely
• Decrease
• Remain about the same
• Increase
• Don’t know

Practice placement days (currently 81% of ESG funding). (Optional)

• Discontinue entirely
• Decrease
• Remain about the same
• Increase
• Don’t know

Administrative fund (currently 8% of ESG funding). (Optional)

• Discontinue entirely
• Decrease
• Remain about the same
• Increase
• Don’t know

Fund for service user and carer involvement in course design (currently 3% of ESG funding). (Optional)

• Discontinue entirely
• Decrease
• Remain about the same
• Increase
• Don’t know

Please explain your answers. (Optional, maximum 500 words)

Alternative uses for the ESG

Are there any additional functions that the ESG should be used for? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the additional functions you would like to see included in the ESG and why. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Are there alternative ways that some or all of the ESG budget could be used more effectively to support high-quality, practice-based learning? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the alternative ways the budget could be used to achieve this and why. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Alternative ways of allocating the ESG

How could the ESG budget be allocated more effectively? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Changing the balance of funding between the SWB and the ESG

See the relevant section in the consultation document for more information.

Which of the following courses of action would you be most supportive of? (Optional)

• Increasing the overall budget for the ESG by reducing the budget for the SWB
• Keeping the proportions of overall funding allocated to the ESG and SWB about the same
• Decreasing the overall budget for the ESG and increasing the budget for the SWB
• Don’t know
• Other, please specify

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Equalities

We are interested in understanding the potential effects of ESG reforms on groups who share protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

We are also interested in understanding how reforms could affect people who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. 

Are there any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or socioeconomic backgrounds, who you believe would be positively affected by any of the potential reforms to the ESG? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the groups you think would be positively affected, and how.  (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Are there any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or socioeconomic backgrounds, who you believe would be negatively affected by any of the potential reforms to the ESG? (Optional)

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the groups you think would be negatively affected, and how. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Other comments

If you would like to share any other views or comments on the proposals in this consultation, please do so below. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Equality and inclusion 

According to data sourced from the NHS Business Service Authority (NHSBSA) SWB processing system for academic year 2024 to 2025, SWB students were made up of:

• 62% aged between 16 and 34 (compared with 29.5% of the general population of England and Wales at the time of the 2021 Census)
• 85% female (compared with 51% of the general population in England and Wales)
• less than 1% trans people (in line with the general population in England and Wales)
• 85% heterosexual or straight (compared with 89.4% of the general population in England and Wales)
• 68% single (compared with 37.9% of the general population in England and Wales)
• no pregnant people
• 17% who felt their day-to-day activities were limited because of a health problem or disability which is expected to last at least 12 months (roughly in line with the general population in England and Wales)
• 37% Black, 18% other ethnic minority (more ethnically diverse than the wider student population)
• 63% with a religious belief of some kind (compared with 53.2% of the general population in England and Wales)

All data on the general population in England and Wales comes from the 2021 Census.

The balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students

We have considered data from Skills for Care’s 2023 report ‘Social work education’ (linked above) to understand demographic information on undergraduate and postgraduate social work courses. This is potentially important to consider, as prioritising undergraduate or postgraduate groups may have a disproportionate effect on certain groups. From this report, for students in 2021 to 2022: 

• 89% of undergraduates were female, compared with 85% of postgraduates
• 66% of undergraduates were White, compared with 65% of postgraduates
• undergraduates were more likely to be younger than postgraduates

Making the SWB income assessed

Means testing is already in place for an element of the postgraduate SWB but none of the undergraduate SWB. Extending it could provide an opportunity to concentrate the SWB towards students who might not otherwise be able to afford study. This would, therefore, have a greater influence on overall numbers of students, as well as potentially improving accessibility for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. It would, however, leave some students who were previously eligible for the SWB without access to the funding.

Hardship fund

Introducing a social work specific hardship fund for students on HEI courses could help students who might not be able to access the SWB to continue with their studies. A hardship fund could be particularly beneficial for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or those with additional expenses - for example, from caring responsibilities. Based on survey data of SWB recipients, approximately 43% had accessed free school meals as children, compared with 28.9% in higher education in general.^{[footnote 2]}

Support for disabled students and students with children or adult dependants 

Similarly to means testing, increasing the proportion of funding that is specifically ringfenced to support students with disabilities and/or dependants could potentially target groups with increased reliance on financial support to complete their courses. As above, increasing the funding for these groups would result in a lower number of overall students being eligible for current levels of SWB.

Alternative use of the SWB budget   

A major risk of stopping the SWB could be the potential for negative effects on the overall number of social work graduates coming into the sector and therefore reduce staffing capacity, which would be risky for service users. This is framed against a shortfall of 1,650 vacancies (8.8%) in adult social care and 7,200 vacancies (17.3%) for children and family social workers in local authorities. Respondents may make suggestions for alternatives ways that the SWB could be used. We would need to consider the public sector equality duty implications of these if we choose to move forward with them.

The balance between the ESG components

The equalities considerations for the ESG might be less immediately obvious, as the funding does not go directly to individual students. However, respondents may wish to consider the potential effects that amending funding for practice placements and skills development days may have on the parity of education outcomes across the country and across different HEIs. In addition, respondents might want to consider the effect of increasing the element of funding for involving carers and people who draw on care and support in course design. Given the caring responsibilities and/or needs of this group, it is possible that increasing funding may allow a broader range of people to be involved in the development and provision of social work courses. 

The balance of funding between the SWB and the ESG 

Alongside the wider considerations of rebalancing the funding between ESG and SWB, there is the potential for change here to affect the levels of access for different groups into social work education. For example:

• the ESG is most linked to the quality of social work education, which will have knock-on effects for the quality of social work graduates entering the sector and potentially affect retention
• the SWB is more concerned with who can access this education in the first place

Alternative use of the ESG budget

As with any other new ways of working that the government opts for following this consultation, the government will undertake an equalities impact assessment of any additional functions that are added to the ESG, should there be any. Respondents may wish to consider their new ideas for the ESG with this in mind.

A major risk of stopping the ESG could be the potential for a reduction in the level of involvement of service users and carers in development of courses, which might lead to courses being less informed by their needs. Another would be the potential for a negative effect on the overall quality of social work education, of which skills development days and practice placements form a vital part. Respondents may make suggestions for what the ESG could be replaced by - the government would undertake an equalities impact assessment of these if we choose to move forward with them.

Glossary

Adult Dependants Allowance

A means-tested allowance provided to students who have an adult financially dependent on them during their studies.

Carer (in course design)

An individual with caring responsibilities who is involved in the development and provision of social work courses, to ensure courses reflect real-world needs.

Disabled Students Allowances (DSAs)

Grants to help students with disabilities cover additional costs incurred during their studies.

Fast-track programmes

Accelerated routes into social work, such as ‘Approach Social Work’ and ‘Step up’, designed to attract graduates or career changers.

Hardship funds

Funds to support students experiencing financial hardship, typically means-tested and available after other funding options have been exhausted.

Higher education institution (HEI)

A university or college of higher education.

Income assessed or means-tested

A method of allocating funding based on the financial circumstances of the student (and sometimes their household), to target support at those with the greatest need.

Parental Learning Allowance

A means-tested allowance for students with children, to help with the costs of learning.

Placement providers

Organisations that provide practice learning placements for social work courses.

Placement Travel Allowance (PTA)

Sum of money to help students cover the extra costs of travelling to a practical placement.

Practice-based learning or practice placement

A required component of social work education, where students gain practical experience in a real-world social work setting.

Planning, delivery, assessment

This refers to the process of organising, providing and evaluating student placements in social work, funded through the ESG.

Skills development days

Students must spend at least 200 days in practice over the duration of their course. Up to 30 of these days can be allocated to students developing their skills for practice, also known as ‘skills days’.

Statutory placements

Practice placements in settings that provide statutory (legally required) social work functions.

Student Finance England (SFE)

A service provided by the Student Loans Company on behalf of the UK government. It administers financial support for students from England entering higher education in the UK.

Social Work England (SWE)

The professional regulator for social workers in England. It is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by DfE.

Privacy notice

Data controller

DHSC is the data controller.

What personal data we collect

We will collect data on geographical location.

We will collect information on the following, but it’s not mandatory for individuals to provide this information to respond to the policy questions in the consultation:

• age
• sex
• gender
• having children or dependants
• physical and mental health condition
• ethnicity
• employment status
• area of work
• type of employer
• education status (current or prospective social work student)
• caring responsibilities
• socioeconomic background

When answering the free-text questions, do not provide personal data relating to you or other individuals.

How we use your data (purposes)

Your data will be treated in the strictest of confidence.  

We collect your personal data as part of the consultation process for statistical purposes - for example, to understand whether views and experiences vary across demographics and to understand how representative the results are. Your personal data will also be used to route you to the relevant questions.

Where there are a large number of responses, data from responses to free-text questions will be analysed using a mixture of manual human review and automated data science techniques (for example, topic modelling using artificial intelligence) to identify themes.

Legal basis for processing personal data

Under article 6 of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing personal data is:

• (e) the processing is necessary to perform a task or function in the public interest or for our official functions and the task or function has a clear basis in law

In addition, we are also processing special category data under the following condition as per article 9 of the UK GDPR:

• (g) reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law), namely statutory and government purposes

Data processors and other recipients of personal data

Responses to the consultation will be seen by DHSC’s third-party supplier (SocialOptic), who is responsible for running and hosting the online survey.

DHSC may also share your responses with the colleagues listed below (data will be anonymised with statistical controls applied): 

• individuals supporting this project within DHSC’s executive agencies or executive non-departmental public bodies, such as NHS England
• other government departments

For the purposes of any publication, responses will be aggregated with statistical controls applied. Any comments that are quoted to highlight common themes in the data will be anonymised to safeguard against individuals being identified. 

International data transfers and storage locations

Storage of data by DHSC is provided through secure computing infrastructure on servers located in the European Economic Area (EEA). Our platforms are subject to extensive security protections and encryption measures. 

Storage of data by SocialOptic is provided on secure servers located in the UK. 

Retention and disposal policy

DHSC will only retain your personal data for up to one year after the consultation closes.

SocialOptic will securely erase the data held on their system 12 months after the online consultation closes, or when instructed to do so by DHSC if the data has served its intended purpose (whichever happens earlier). Upon instruction by DHSC, SocialOptic may require up to 8 weeks to dispose of data. 

Anonymised data may be kept longer.

How we keep your data secure

DHSC uses appropriate technical, organisational and administrative security measures to protect any information we hold in our records from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. We have written procedures and policies which are regularly audited and reviewed at a senior level. Our platforms are subject to extensive security protections and encryption measures.

SocialOptic is Cyber Essentials certified. 

Your rights as a data subject

By law, data subjects have a number of rights, and this processing does not take away or reduce these rights under the UK GDPR, and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 applies.

These rights are:

• the right to get copies of information - individuals have the right to ask for a copy of any information about them that is used
• the right to get information corrected - individuals have the right to ask for any information held about them that they think is inaccurate to be corrected
• the right to limit how the information is used - individuals have the right to ask for any of the information held about them to be restricted - for example, if they think inaccurate information is being used
• the right to object to the information being used - individuals can ask for any information held about them to not be used. However, this is not an absolute right, and continued use of the information may be necessary, with individuals being advised if this is the case
• the right to get information deleted - this is not an absolute right, and continued use of the information may be necessary, with individuals being advised if this is the case

Comments or complaints

Anyone unhappy or wishing to complain about how personal data is used as part of this programme should contact DHSC’s Data Protection Officer:

Email: data_protection@dhsc.gov.uk

Post:

Data Protection Officer
1st Floor North
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU

Anyone who is still not satisfied can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Their postal address is:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Automated decision making or profiling

No decision will be made about individuals solely based on automated decision making (where a decision is taken about them using an electronic system without human involvement) which has a significant impact on them.

Changes to this policy

This privacy notice is kept under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated on 6 February 2026.

1. Information sourced from the DHSC internal review - see the ‘Background’ section for further details. ↩

2. Explore education statistics, Widening participation in higher education - academic year 2023 to 2024. ↩