Probity & Ethics

Social Work Remediation · Fitness to Practice · CPD UK Accredited & Certified

Social Work England · SSSC · Social Care Wales · NISCC

Social work remediation courses for Social Workers facing concerns, fitness to practice investigations and hearings

CPD-Accredited, self-paced online courses for social workers registered anywhere in the UK, responding to concerns, fitness to practice proceedings and investigations — from a first letter through to an adjudicator hearing. Every course is certified by The CPD Certification Service and issues a CPD certificate on completion.

  • CPD-Accredited
  • 28 courses
  • From £49
  • Instant certificate on completion
  • All four UK nations
CPD-Accredited Certified by
The CPD Certification Service, UK

At a glance

Who it is for
Social workers facing a concern, investigation or hearing
Bodies covered
Social Work England, the SSSC, Social Care Wales and the NISCC
Accreditation
Certified by The CPD Certification Service, Provider No. 13197
Access
Immediate, online, at your own pace
On completion
CPD certificate for your response or CPD record
Price
From £49 per course
6 years of providing ethics, probity and professionalism courses
1,000+ healthcare professionals trained by us
28 courses each certified by The CPD Certification Service

Social Work England Investigation Guidance

Which Social Work England remediation courses should you take?

The Core Remediation Set applies to every case, whatever the allegation. Select the type of concern your regulator has raised and you will see those eight courses again alongside the ones that address your concern directly.

Select the concern your regulator has raised

Choose the heading that best matches the wording in your letter. The courses below change to match it.

Social Work England Ethics & Ethical Conduct Investigation

If your regulator has raised concerns about your ethical decision-making, consent, dignity, candour or moral conduct, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 18 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 10related areas that often arise alongside this concern

Social Work England Professionalism, Conduct & Attitude Investigation

If your regulator has raised concerns about your attitude towards patients or colleagues, behaviour, incivility, teamwork or communication, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 19 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 9related areas that often arise alongside this concern

Social Work England Probity, Honesty & Financial Integrity Investigation

If your regulator has raised concerns about dishonesty, falsified records or timesheets, qualifications, expenses, theft or misleading an employer or the regulator, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 18 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 10related areas that often arise alongside this concern

Social Work England Professional Boundaries & Relationships Investigation

If your regulator has raised concerns about inappropriate relationships, dual roles, gifts, online contact or chaperoning, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 18 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 10related areas that often arise alongside this concern

Social Work England Clinical Practice, Competence & Patient Safety Investigation

If your regulator has raised concerns about clinical errors, medication or prescribing incidents, failure to escalate, record-keeping or patient safety, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 19 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 9related areas that often arise alongside this concern

Social Work England Fitness to Practice Investigation — General

If you do not yet know how your regulator has categorised the allegation, or you face concerns spanning several areas, start here. This is the broadest cross-section of our CPD-Accredited catalogue.

Primary recommended courses 18 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 10related areas that often arise alongside this concern

All 28 CPD-Accredited Social Work England courses

Every course is certified by The CPD Certification Service, awards CPD hours/points, and issues a CPD certificate on completion. Each one appears as a core or primary recommendation under at least one concern type.

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Social Workers

Helps you understand what the professional standards expects of you, where the concern is about your judgement, honesty, or conduct towards patients. Supports you in handling it openly and writing the reflection an investigator or a panel will read.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Social Workers

Helps you see where your conduct, attitude, or behaviour towards patients and colleagues fell short of professional standards, and why that matters to your regulator. Supports you in building the insight and reflection that go into a remediation response.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£491.5 CPD hours/points

Module on Insight

Insight is assessed in every case, whatever the allegation. Helps you understand what an investigator or a panel actually means by it, shows you how to demonstrate insight rather than assert it, and supports you in putting it in writing before a hearing.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£491.5 CPD hours/points

Module on Reflection

Helps you write reflection that holds up to scrutiny from an investigator or a panel, analysing what happened rather than simply describing it. Supports you through the difficult feelings that get in the way, which is why most people find this harder than they expect.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£491.5 CPD hours/points

Module on Remediation

Supports you in building a remediation plan around the concerns actually raised, rather than assembling a stack of certificates. Shows you how to record what you have changed and present that evidence to your regulator.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Fitness to Practice for Healthcare Professionals

Walks you through the process you are in: what fitness to practice means, why cases are opened, what happens at each stage, and what to expect if it reaches a hearing. A sensible first course if the letter you received is the first you have heard of any of this.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ethics for Healthcare Professionals

Helps you look honestly at a decision you made and why you made it, where that is what the concern turns on. Takes you through the situations that most often lead to referrals and supports you in showing what has since changed.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£992.5 CPD hours/points

Medical Ethics Course

A longer course for cases where several concerns have been raised at once, or where the allegations are serious. Helps you work through difficult decisions in clinical practice and supports you in rebuilding trust with your regulator.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£992.5 CPD hours/points

Professional Ethics Course

For cases where your honesty, integrity, or accountability in day-to-day practice has been questioned. Helps you see how these lapses usually happen and what they mean for patients and colleagues, and supports you in responding credibly during an investigation.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Professionalism for Healthcare Professionals

Some concerns do not fall neatly into one category. Reminds you what professional behaviour requires under real pressure, including fatigue and burnout, and helps you reflect on a lapse in a way a panel will find credible.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Probity for Healthcare Professionals

If your letter uses the word probity, start here. Helps you understand what honesty and integrity mean in records, declarations, and money, and supports you in rebuilding trust through a documented remediation plan.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Financial Integrity for Healthcare Professionals

For cases involving money — claims, declarations, undisclosed interests, or financial conduct that has been questioned. Helps you understand how these cases arise and what they mean for your registration, and supports you in responding.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Professional Boundaries for Clinicians

Boundary cases are among the most serious your regulator investigates. Helps you see where the lines sit and how they are crossed gradually, often without intent, and supports you in putting credible remediation together.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues

For a relationship that became too close, contact outside work, or gifts. Reminds you of the warning signs and why these cases are treated so seriously, and helps you show insight and accountability afterwards.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Professionalism & Boundaries in Use of Social Media

Something posted, shared, or messaged online can lead to a referral as readily as anything in a case note. Helps you understand where the line falls on patient contact, confidentiality, and public comment, and supports you in showing your conduct has changed.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Privacy, Consent, and Chaperone in Healthcare Practice

Consent is among the most common causes of referral. Reminds you what valid consent requires, how it should be recorded, and when a chaperone should be offered, and helps you reflect on a case where any of it was questioned.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ensuring Clinical Competence and Patient Safety

For concerns about your clinical judgement, knowledge, or practice. Helps you work within the limits of your competence, understand how gaps are assessed during an investigation, and show your regulator that competence has been restored.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ensuring Confidentiality in Healthcare Practice

A conversation overheard, records accessed, or something shared that should not have been. Helps you understand when disclosure is lawful and how breaches usually happen, and supports you in remediating one.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Duty of Candour in Healthcare Practice

Being open after something goes wrong is a duty, not a courtesy. Reminds you what you must tell a patient and when, helps you apologise properly without admitting liability, and explains why your regulator treats failures of candour so seriously.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

How to Deal with a Complaint or Investigation

Takes you through being investigated: what happens, in what order, and what is expected of you at each stage through to a hearing. Helps you respond well, build your evidence, and manage the strain of it.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

How to Avoid a Complaint or Investigation

Helps you recognise the situations that most often lead to complaints, and head them off — communication, boundaries, records, and honesty. Useful to you as remediation evidence, and as ordinary CPD if you have had a near miss.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

Before you write anything

Who decides your case, and in which nation

Social work is the only profession on this site regulated by four different bodies. Which one holds your registration decides the whole shape of your case, and the stages below are Social Work England’s. Knowing which stage you are at changes what you should be writing and when.

One protected title, four regulators

The title social worker is protected in law across the whole United Kingdom, but there is no single UK register. To use it you must be registered with the regulator for the nation you work in: Social Work England, the Scottish Social Services Council, Social Care Wales or the Northern Ireland Social Care Council. If you move nation, you register again.

Social Work England is the newest of the four

It took over the regulation of social workers in England from the Health and Care Professions Council on 2 December 2019. It is also the odd one out constitutionally: a non-departmental public body accountable to government departments rather than directly to Parliament, which is how most healthcare regulators are constituted.

Four stages, and it matters which one you are in

Social Work England’s fitness to practise process runs in four stages: triage, where it is decided whether a concern merits investigation; investigation, which it aims to conclude within six months; the case examiner stage; and, if it gets that far, a hearing before adjudicators.

Two case examiners and the realistic prospect test

At the case examiner stage a pair of case examiners read the investigation report and apply one test: is there a realistic prospect that adjudicators would find your fitness to practise impaired. If there is not, they can close the concern outright. This is the last point at which a case can end quietly, and it is decided on the papers.

Accepted disposal: a case can end without a hearing

Where the case examiners do find a realistic prospect of impairment, they can propose an outcome to you directly instead of sending the case to a hearing. If you accept the proposal and the final order, the case examiners close the case. That is called accepted disposal, and it depends on you being able to show insight and evidenced remediation at the case examiner stage rather than after a hearing date is set.

Adjudicators are independent of the regulator

If a case does go to a hearing, it is decided by adjudicators — appointed by Social Work England but independent of it, required to declare any conflict of interest, deciding on the evidence and the law alone and giving reasons. Interim orders are reviewed by adjudicators too, and you can ask for an early review.

What does not change, in any nation

The standards are worded differently in each of the four nations, but what every one of them looks for when a concern is raised is the same: insight into what happened, reflection set down in your own words, and remediation you can evidence. That is what the Core Set below is built around.

What a course cannot do

No course decides a fitness to practise case, and no provider can promise an outcome. What a dated certificate from an external provider can do is evidence that you acted, and when.

Social Work England Investigations

Supporting Social Workers through regulatory proceedings

Courses
28, all CPD-certified
Price
£49 to £99 per course
CPD per course
1.5 to 2.5 hours/points
Core set
8 courses, 14.5 CPD hours
Aligned with
SWE professional standards & SSSC Codes of Practice
Certificate
Issued on completion, downloadable
Accreditation
The CPD Certification Service, Provider No. 13197
Format
Online, self-paced, instant access
Who they cover
Social Workers across all four UK nations
CPD
No revalidation. England: annual renewal with CPD recorded against professional standard 4. Scotland: Post Registration Training and Learning, the equivalent of 15 days per registration period, recorded in MySSSC. Social Work England requires you to keep recording CPD while a fitness to practice investigation is open.

Facing an investigation by the Social Work England or the SSSC can be one of the most professionally challenging experiences of a Social Worker's career. Whether you are subject to a fitness to practice inquiry, a complaint about your conduct, or concerns raised about your professional standards, demonstrating active engagement with remediation and professional development is a critical part of your response.

Our courses are purpose-built to help Social Workers across the UK respond to a concern raised with their regulator. In England that is Social Work England and its six professional standards; in Scotland it is the Scottish Social Services Council and the Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers. Social work is regulated separately in each nation — Social Care Wales in Wales and the Northern Ireland Social Care Council in Northern Ireland — but the substance of what a regulator looks for is the same everywhere: insight, honest reflection, and evidence that something has changed. Taking proactive steps through structured CPD, reflective practice and demonstrable behaviour change is what investigators and panels look for as evidence of genuine remediation.

All courses are CPD-Accredited and certified by The CPD Certification Service (CPD UK). Each course awards CPD hours/points and issues a CPD certificate on completion, which you can include in a remediation portfolio, in a written response to your regulator, or in your revalidation records alongside your own reflection.

Why These Courses

Why CPD-Accredited courses matter for Social Work England remediation

The Social Work England expects registrants to demonstrate genuine insight and measurable professional development. Accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is one of the clearest ways to show you have taken your obligations seriously.

Built to support your response

Every course is independently assessed and certified by The CPD Certification Service. The certificate, together with the reflection you write from it, is suitable for inclusion in a remediation portfolio or a written response to your regulator.

Immediately available

Access your course the moment you enrol. No waiting, no scheduling — useful when you need to demonstrate prompt action to your regulator or your indemnity provider.

Aligned to the professional standards

Every course is aligned with the professional standards, addressing the standards most commonly cited in referrals, fitness to practice proceedings and revalidation portfolios.

The kind of CPD advisers ask for

Indemnity providers and regulatory solicitors routinely advise social workers facing regulatory proceedings to undertake structured, certified CPD as part of a remediation plan. We receive recommendations from them, which is not the same as formal endorsement by any organisation.

Certificate on completion

Receive a verifiable CPD certificate for each course completed, to include in a remediation portfolio alongside your own reflection, or to share with your solicitor or indemnity provider.

Expert-developed content

Courses are developed by UK healthcare ethics and regulatory specialists with direct knowledge of the professional standards, the professional standards, fitness to practice expectations and remediation best practice.

Life does not always go according to plan.We are here to help…

Author and course facilitator

Dr Shehzad Iqbal, course facilitator at Probity & Ethics

Dr Shehzad Iqbal

Course facilitator and author, Probity & Ethics

Dr Iqbal has designed and delivered ethics, probity and professionalism training for UK healthcare professionals since 2020, working with registrants of all nine UK healthcare regulators, online and face to face. He combines clinical practice with formal postgraduate training in healthcare law and ethics.

MBBS · MRCS · MRCGP · Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics, University of Dundee

Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal. Last reviewed .

Key terms

What your regulator means by insight, reflection and remediation

Four terms recur throughout regulatory correspondence. They are not interchangeable, and being clear about which one a letter is asking for makes a practical difference to how you respond.

Fitness to practice
Having the skills, knowledge, character and health to practise your profession safely and effectively. A regulator opens a fitness to practice investigation when a concern suggests that one of those may be in question. It is a question about current and future safety, not only about what happened.
Insight
Understanding what went wrong, why it happened, and the effect it had on patients, colleagues and public confidence in the profession. Insight is assessed at almost every stage, whatever the allegation, and it is the element most often described as lacking.
Reflection
Setting that understanding down honestly and in your own words, including what you would do differently and what you have already changed. Reflection is the written record of insight, which is why the two are so often confused.
Remediation
The concrete steps taken so that the same thing does not happen again — training, supervision, changes to how you work — together with evidence that they happened. Insight without remediation is an account; remediation without insight is a certificate.

These descriptions are our summary of how the terms are used in regulatory practice. They are not quotations from your regulator, and they are not legal advice. Your defence organisation or solicitor should advise on your own case.

Who these courses are for

Social Workers in all four UK nations

Social work is regulated separately in each nation, and the standards are worded differently in each. What every regulator looks for when a concern is raised is the same: that you understand what went wrong, have reflected on it honestly, and can evidence what has changed. These courses support that, wherever you are registered.

EnglandSocial Work England
Six professional standards
ScotlandScottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers
WalesSocial Care Wales
Code of Professional Practice for Social Care
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)
NISCC Standards of Conduct and Practice

FAQs

Social Work England remediation courses: frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions from Social Workers facing regulatory proceedings.

Will completing these courses help my case?

Yes. Completing accredited CPD relevant to the concerns raised is one of the most effective steps you can take. Investigators and fitness to practice panels look for evidence of genuine insight, remediation and proactive professional development. A certificate from The CPD Certification Service shows structured, documented learning, and gives your written reflection something concrete to build on. How much weight it carries depends on the circumstances of your case, and no course can guarantee an outcome.

Does your regulator approve or accept these courses?

Regulators do not approve, accredit or endorse courses from any provider, including us, and does not keep an approved list. What our courses give you is independent certification by The CPD Certification Service and a CPD certificate recording what you studied and when. You can include that in a remediation portfolio, a written response, or your CPD record — and it is the reflection you attach to it that carries the weight.

How quickly can I access a course after purchasing?

Immediately. Access is granted as soon as your payment is confirmed — no waiting period and no scheduling required. If you are facing an imminent deadline or hearing, you can begin your course and obtain a certificate the same day.

Which courses should I choose for my specific regulatory investigation?

Start with the Core Remediation Set. These eight courses cover insight, reflection, remediation and rebuilding trust, and are relevant to every case whatever the allegation.

Then use the concern selector to add courses that address your specific issue: ethics and ethical conduct; professionalism, conduct and attitude; probity, honesty and financial integrity; professional boundaries and relationships; or clinical practice, competence and patient safety. If you do not yet know how your regulator has categorised your case, choose Fitness to Practice, or contact us for personalised guidance.

How many CPD hours or points does each course award?

Most courses award 2 CPD hours/points. The three short modules — Insight, Reflection and Remediation — award 1.5 CPD hours/points each. The Medical Ethics Course and the Professional Ethics Course award 2.5 CPD hours/points each. The Core Remediation Set totals 14.5 CPD hours/points across its eight courses.

Do the courses count towards my CPD?

Yes. All courses award verifiable CPD hours/points certified by The CPD Certification Service (CPD UK). There is no revalidation in social work. In England you renew annually and must record CPD against Social Work England’s professional standard 4, which is the CPD standard. In Scotland the SSSC requires Post Registration Training and Learning — the equivalent of 15 days across each registration period — recorded through MySSSC. A certified course and your written reflection on it fit both.

I have received a notification of referral — what should I do first?

Contact your indemnity provider or a specialist healthcare regulatory solicitor immediately. Alongside legal advice, begin demonstrating proactive remediation by enrolling in courses relevant to the concerns raised. Early action signals insight and genuine willingness to improve — both factors your regulator weighs heavily in investigation and hearings.

Can I purchase courses for a colleague or member of my team?

Yes. Team managers, principal social workers and workforce development leads can purchase courses on behalf of registrants. Please see our bulk buy offer or contact us for team and group enrolment options, especially if several Social Workers need to complete the same course as part of a team-wide remediation programme.

Are these courses suitable if I am not currently under regulatory investigation?

Yes. Many Social Workers take these courses as part of their proactive CPD, renewal preparation or supervision evidence, to deepen their understanding of the professional standards and the professional standards, or to strengthen areas of practice they feel less confident about. Completing ethics and professionalism CPD is good practice for all registrants, regardless of regulatory proceedings.

Official guidance

Read your regulator’s own guidance

Social work is regulated separately in each UK nation. Read the source material for yours.

The one requirement most people miss. Social Work England’s own CPD guidance states that “you must continue to record CPD” if you are subject to a fitness to practise investigation, or if you have a live sanction of suspension or conditions. The reason it gives is that you need to be able to show how you meet the CPD requirements once the investigation concludes. CPD during an investigation is not optional extra credit — it is a standing obligation while your case is open.

Read it on socialworkengland.org.uk ↗

Probity & Ethics is an independent CPD provider. We are not affiliated with, accredited by, or endorsed by Social Work England, the Scottish Social Services Council, Social Care Wales, the Northern Ireland Social Care Council, or any other regulator.

Other Regulators

Remediation courses for other healthcare regulators

We run equivalent CPD-Accredited remediation courses for professionals regulated by other UK healthcare bodies.

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