Child and family social worker early career standards

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 are for:

• frontline practitioners
• employers

They apply to:

• local authorities
• employers that have child protection duties in other organisations

For frontline practitioners, these standards are the post-qualifying improvement standard 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 standards will form the basis of the early career development programme that will replace the assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) from September 2027.

Guidance for alternatively qualified Family Help lead practitioners

The early career standards align with the standard of practice required by Family Help lead practitioners (FHLPs) to effectively support children and families receiving Family Help.

Guidance is available on Knowledge hub (requires log-in) to help local authorities use the standards to support the development of alternatively qualified FHLPs, strengthening consistency, capability and outcomes across Family Help services.

Alternatively qualified FHLPs:

• work substantively within multi-disciplinary Family Help teams, directly supporting children and families – targeted early help or Section 17
• are expected to case hold as part of the role
• are employed by a local authority
• are not qualified social workers registered with Social Work England