Child and family social worker early career standards
Professional standards for child and family social workers supporting vulnerable children and families.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
The child and family social worker early career standards will apply from 1 April 2027 .
Until then, child and family practitioners and their employers should continue to use the post-qualifying standard: knowledge and skills statement for child and family practitioners.
The child and family social worker early career standards describe the professional outcomes that child and family social workers should demonstrate in their first 2 years in practice.
The standards cover:
- education
- recruitment
- career development
- performance appraisal
They’re for:
- frontline practitioners (staff)
- employers
They apply to:
- local authorities
- employers who have child protection duties in other organisations
For frontline practitioners, these standards are the post-qualifying improvement standards as set out under Section 42 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, Attaining this professional standard demonstrates that the holder has a particular expertise or specialisation.
The early career standards will form the basis of the early career development programme (ECDP), which will replace the assessment and support year in employment (ASYE) programme from September 2027.