Registration renewal – ‘a performative pile of b*****s’

It was that time of year again… no, not Christmas, but when as social workers we rush to complete the Social Work England registration process, desperately searching in our minds for the CPD we’ve done that year.

Inevitably we will have done loads of CPD; you can’t help but not, be it actual training, reflective discussions, supervision or on the job learning. We’ve had all year to figure it out and get it recorded but in true social work style we leave it to a last minute sprint to the finish line…

The problem this year is I didn’t sprint, I didn’t even walk or crawl to the finish line – I forgot about it. Coming back from my early morning dog walk the day after the 30 November deadline, a sudden panic engulfed me when I realised I’d missed it. 

I tried logging onto my account and found I was locked out. I called Social Work England – no answer (to be fair it was about 8.30am) so I took some deep breaths and researched the website for any loop holes/ways to get re-registered. 

I was horrified to read that the ‘restoration process’ takes up to 20 working days! Surely, I thought, there is a process for people like me who made a genuine mistake (to save time for someone else, there isn’t). 

I called around 9am and a recorded message told me the regulator was experiencing a high volume of calls so could take longer to answer. I felt a sense of camaraderie with others who must also be calling to plead to be re-registered. 

When I eventually got through a young woman who informed me I would have to wait until I get an email to tell me I am not registered and that this would arrive the next day. Frustrating, but 24 hours is my penance, I thought. 

I informed my employer which added another layer of shame, self-reprimand and downright embarrassment. Social Work England advised that while your name is still on the register (which mine was then ) you can practice, so I was able to finish off some work. 

The next morning I got up around 4am and checked my emails and account repeatedly throughout the day. The email finally arrived around 2.15pm. 

I immediately filled out the form, paid the eye-watering £180 ‘restoration fee’, reminding myself that this was my own fault. Even though there was no option to add CPD documents, I knew this would be required so I emailed the generic email account with my work. 

I called the regulator again and explained what I had done and was assured that one piece of information would be married up with the other.

A young man I spoke to at Social Work England also told me that though the website says 20 working days, they are applications like mine were being processed more quickly.

I checked the register and saw ‘No longer registered, failed to renew’ alongside my name. I was now no longer able to practice.

I messaged a group of close friends, one of whom is a doctor. On explaining the process for social workers she said: “It all sounds performative and a pile of b******s.” She explained that she also has to do an annual appraisal with CPD but being late didn’t stop her from renewing registration. There would be no registered doctors if it did! 

This made me question the process social workers go through – it is performative. We had been told this year no-one would be reading our CPD, so what actually is the point, other than another example of a tick box exercise?

Another restless night, up again around 4am. I told the team about my misdemeanour. They were so lovely and understanding. Their responses lifted my spirits, although I still felt I had let them down.

I did not hear from Social Work England so I called them again. A recorded message was now saying that applications take from 20 days as opposed to up to 20 days. 

The next day I emailed the generic email to enquire what was happening. I received an email back the same morning from someone (who I guess was trying to be helpful) telling me I needed to complete a restoration application. I replied back politely that I had already completed a restoration application. I rang Social Work England again and I was told that my case had been assigned and hopefully I would hear something later that day or Friday.

On Friday I woke early and checked my email and Social Work England account repeatedly. The email finally arrived at 11.32am but it wasn’t the email I had been waiting for; it was an email that made me want to smash my head into a wall. 

The email told me they had completed an initial assessment and now needed me to submit CPD. There were also some forms for me to complete. I emailed back straight away with the CPD, explaining  that I had already submitted this. 

Reading between the lines, I suspected request to resubmit was bureaucracy – the CPD I had originally submitted was not on the correct form.

After resubmitting I did not receive any emails back to confirm receipt. I called the regulator and was reminded that case workers do not respond directly to emails because they are working in date order.

It had taken 2.5 days for them to complete an initial assessment of my application (literally my name, address, qualification details and declarations) so I was not hopeful that it would be any less time to review two pieces of CPD that I submitted.

I put down the phone and then the tears came and they just kept coming. I know this might sound dramatic but I was feeling so disempowered, frustrated and really low. I did not feel like my case was being dealt with any kind of urgency.

What is upsetting is that the system does not allow you to make amends. I knew I had messed up the day after the deadline, but I was prevented from acting on it until half way through the next day. 

Even though I begrudged paying the restoration fee, I can appreciate the need for some kind of penalty for not having completed registration in time – but why isn’t there a way of completing the online form and paying the fee as soon as you realise you have made a mistake? 

And really, what is the £180 paying for? I have not noticed any urgency or speed with which my application is being handled. Should it really be the same fee as someone who is coming back into the profession after a number of years away when a higher level of scrutiny is required? 

For me, this speaks of a neoliberal system that is not compassionate and does not appreciate human error/mistake. It mirrors many of our broken systems that treat people as an annoyance and inconvenience. 

The definition of restoration is ‘The act of returning something to a former, original, or good condition’. I would say this process has been anything but restorative. Once I am re-registered (which I am hopeful is still possible) I will be returning with lower confidence and increased self-doubt.

It is a criminal offence to practice as a social worker when you are not registered. This also has the effect of making you feel like you have committed a serious crime. There is a double penalty because not being employed as a social worker also impacts your pay. Just what I didn’t need before Christmas. 

So I went into my first weekend as a de-registered social worker not hopeful about what this following week would bring. I am trying to be philosophical about what the universe is trying to tell me. Certainly there is something about procrastinating and putting off those admin tasks and slowing down and prioritising things.

But is it also saying that social work is not for me? Perhaps I should stay de-registered and run off into the sunset. But the bills need paying. Maybe I need that registration more than it needs me!

In true reflective social worker style the lessons I will be taking into my practice are:

• Continue to treat people with compassion – as humans first, mistake-ridden but worthy all the same
• Keep people in the loop to help them make sense and know what is happening
• Try to make systems and processes as easy to navigate as possible with as little bureaucracy as necessary
• Take time for yourself – your needs are important and what help you continue to keep going

I share this as a cautionary tale for others, a cathartic process for me and a way to shine a light on a broken process in the hope of affecting change.

*Name changed to protect identity