Thank you for your 'extraordinary commitment'

Today is World Social Work Day – an important moment to recognise the dedication, skill and determination of social workers across the country.

Every day, thousands of professionals are working with children and families who need help the most. They make difficult decisions, build trust in complex situations, and stand alongside children at the most challenging moments in their lives. Much of this work happens quietly, away from the spotlight, but its impact is enormous.

As the government’s minister for children and families, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your hard work and dedication. The work you do matters, and it is valued.

What we are doing for families

We have begun the national rollout of the Families First Partnership programme, set out plans to renew fostering, taken the first steps in establishing a Child Protection Authority, and introduced the first Regional Care Cooperatives in Greater Manchester and the south-east.

Together, these reforms are about building a system that supports families earlier, strengthens child protection and ensures children receive the care and stability they deserve.

What we are doing for social workers

Away from these national reforms, we know the start of a career in social work can be demanding for people working on the frontline. That’s why, last month, we published our new Early Career Standards for social workers.

Social workers deserve greater clarity, stronger support and more structured development at the start of their careers.

The new standards set out the knowledge and skills needed for confident practice. From April 2027 they will replace the current post-qualifying standards, alongside a new two-year Early Career Development programme starting in September 2027.

This programme will give newly qualified social workers more support to develop, reflect and consolidate their knowledge and skills. It is designed to help build a workforce that feels confident and supported in practice, while improving consistency in what social workers and employers can expect during those early years. 

Just as importantly, it aims to support retention by creating a clearer pathway at the start of a social worker’s career.

But supporting social workers cannot stop after their first two years. That is why, from autumn 2027, we will roll out a Social Work National Professional Development Offer.

This programme will provide five training offers to support social workers at different stages of their careers and reflect different specialisms within the profession.

Career progression and leadership

In addition to the new Early Career Development programme, we will introduce training to support specialist roles and career progression. This includes a programme for Lead Child Protection Practitioners, built around new standards to strengthen decision-making in child protection and help local authorities develop a strong pipeline of experienced practitioners ready to take on this critical role.

We will also launch a Family Help Management programme, supporting managers leading new Family Help teams. The aim is simple: to give leaders the tools they need to support multidisciplinary teams and deliver excellent services to children and families.

And because leadership matters across the whole system, we are investing in two further programmes for senior leaders and directors of children’s services. These will help leaders build the knowledge and skill needed to drive improvement across children’s social care.

Together, these programmes form a national development offer designed to support a confident, skilled and resilient workforce, with clearer pathways for progression.

Shared understanding of ‘good practice’

This week we are also updating two key pieces of statutory guidance for children’s social care: the Children’s Social Care National Framework and Working Together to Safeguard Children. These updates aim to improve alignment across the system and make expectations for practice clearer.

For the first time, we expect a clearer link between the standards set out in the National Framework and the way services are inspected. This should help everyone across the system – social workers, leaders, partners and inspectors – work from the same shared understanding of what good practice looks like.

These developments are part of a wider programme of reform that has been moving forward over the last 18 months. 

Profession’s ‘vital role’

But reforms and frameworks only matter if the professionals delivering them are supported and valued.

Social workers deal with complex family circumstances, high-stakes child protection decisions and emotional pressure that few professions experience. Yet they continue to show compassion, professionalism and determination to improve children’s lives.

This World Social Work Day, I want to recognise the extraordinary commitment shown by social workers across England. You are protecting children, supporting families through crisis, and helping young people build safer and brighter futures.

Most of all, this week is about saying thank you to a profession that plays such a vital role in keeping the most vulnerable children in our society safe.

Josh MacAlister MP is Westminster’s minister for children and families at the Department for Education