This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| Children and Social Work Act 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Short title | Children and Social Work Act 2017 |
| Long title | An Act to make provision about the provision of services for children and other persons; to make provision about social workers; and for connected purposes |
| Year | 2017 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Enacted by | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Royal assent | 27 April 2017 |
Children and Social Work Act 2017 The Children and Social Work Act 2017 is United Kingdom legislation enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom with royal assent on 27 April 2017. The Act reforms aspects of services for children and the regulation and education of social workers, intersecting with institutions such as Department for Education (United Kingdom), Ofsted, Social Work England, and local authorities like London Borough of Hackney and Manchester City Council. It followed policy debates involving figures and bodies including Edward Timpson, Frank Dobson, National Association of Head Teachers, and advocacy groups such as Barnardo's and NSPCC.
The Act emerged from reviews and white papers influenced by inquiries led by persons like January 2016 panels and reports from organisations including Children’s Commissioner for England, Centre for Social Justice, Local Government Association, and campaigners such as Sir Martin Narey. Parliamentary scrutiny took place in both the House of Commons and House of Lords with amendments tabled by members including Edward Timpson and debates referencing precedents like the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004, and the legislative context shaped by cases in tribunals such as Family Court decisions. Legislative stages included Committee scrutiny in the Public Bill Committee (House of Commons) and consideration by committees associated with the House of Lords Constitution Committee and the Education Select Committee.
Key statutory provisions establish duties and frameworks touching multiple organisations: creation of an independent regulator for social workers, provisions for looked-after children, duties for local authorities and bodies like Cafcass in relation to care leavers, and measures on adoption support referencing institutions such as Adoption and Children Act 2002. The Act enables the Secretary of State from Department for Education (United Kingdom) to make regulations about social work education and training, building on structures involving universities and professional standards akin to those overseen historically by Health and Care Professions Council. It introduces a duty to provide corporate parenting support for care leavers with links to services commissioned by entities like Clinical commissioning group structures and local commissioners such as NHS England. The legislation amends duties under the Care Act 2014 and establishes mechanisms for multi-agency collaboration reminiscent of safeguarding arrangements involving bodies like Local Safeguarding Children Board and inspection regimes comparable to Ofsted.
Implementation required coordination among statutory bodies including Department for Education (United Kingdom), the newly formed regulator Social Work England, and inspection bodies like Ofsted and Care Quality Commission. Local authorities such as Birmingham City Council and regional consortia managed transitional arrangements for social work registration, education partnerships with institutions like University of Exeter and University of York, and workforce policies influenced by organisations including British Association of Social Workers and employer groups such as Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers. Administrative guidance and statutory instruments were produced following precedent in delegated legislation handled through the Privy Council process and parliamentary affirmative resolution procedures debated in the House of Commons.
The Act reshaped workforce regulation and practice environments affecting practitioners trained at institutions including King's College London, University of Manchester, and University of Birmingham, and influenced employer bodies such as Children's Services Directors Association. Regulatory change prompted commentary from trade unions like Unison and UNISON National, professional bodies such as British Association of Social Workers, and service providers including Coram and Home-Start. Outcomes linked to care leavers, adoption pathways, and looked-after children services interacted with national performance frameworks tracked by Department for Education (United Kingdom), inspection outcomes reported by Ofsted, and research from academic centres such as University of Oxford and London School of Economics. Evaluations referenced earlier reform impacts from statutes like the Children and Families Act 2014 and policy reports by think tanks such as Institute for Public Policy Research.
Subsequent amendments and related measures intersect with laws including the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004, the Care Act 2014, and instruments arising under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 framework. Later statutory guidance and secondary legislation modified implementation through regulations enacted by the Secretary of State for Education and were debated alongside orders in the House of Lords. Related policy developments and reviews involved organisations such as National Audit Office, academic commentators from University College London, and advocacy groups including Action for Children. The Act sits within a broader legislative landscape reflecting evolving standards for child welfare, social work regulation, and corporate parenting across England and Wales.
Category:United Kingdom legislation Category:Children's law (United Kingdom) Category:Social care in the United Kingdom