My name is Julie Long, I am a retired social worker and a former trade union representative. Unfortunately, the position that both social workers find themselves in is not unique. Many social workers face long delays and inequality of arms at the hands of this Regulator. The Local Authorities (LA) received complaints from service users about these social workers which were promptly referred to the police and Social Work England (SWE) respectively.

The police concluded after just six weeks that the complaint was unfounded and informed the Local Authority (LA) accordingly. However, Social Work England (SWE) insisted that they carried out their own investigations, even though there were significant delays in contacting the complainant. After 5 years, the Social Workers received a letter informing that the investigations were to be discontinued and there were no fitness to practice concerns (FTP). He has remained unemployed throughout this time. Social Work England (SWE) insisted that he inform any prospective employer that he was subject to a fitness to practice (FTP) investigation and when he shared this, he was not offered a position. In addition, the Local Authority (LA) would not provide a reference until Social Work England (SWE) had concluded their investigations.

In the case of the second social worker, Social Work England (SWE) concluded their investigations and offered a sanction to avoid waiting for a hearing. The Social Worker was offered a written warning that would be placed on her registration file for a number of years. The Social Worker refused to accept the sanction as the allegations are strongly denied. In addition, this Social Worker has a plethora of witness statements that would challenge the validity of the allegations. The Social Worker has lost livelihood because she refused to accept the sanction and is waiting to clear her name. Why should a Social Worker be coerced into accepting a sanction for something they haven't done?

All social workers are vulnerable to unfounded allegations that must be investigated. However, when these investigations are taking over 5 years to conclude and ultimately destroying social work careers we consider that we must obtain some legal advice to challenge this situation and hold Social Work England (SWE) to account.

We are fund raising to obtain some advice from a legal firm called REBEL LAW. Rebel law provides regulatory law advice for health and social professionals facing fitness to practice investigations and hearings. Specifically, they offer legal advice and representation throughout the regulatory process, from initial referral to hearing representation. This includes advising on interim orders and hearings, helping clients understand the impact of regulatory investigations and preparing for hearings.

We have obtained information from the Rebel Law website and note that their hourly rates range from £250-£350 per hour plus VAT depending on their expertise. Therefore we hope to raise £2000 in the first instance to ascertain if redress against Social Work England (SWE) can be commenced.

Please donate to support this challenge and share with anyone who may wish to support us.

How much we are raising:

We are trying to raise £2000 pounds to obtain initial advice about seeking redress against this terrible injustice.