Digital Education Resource Archive

Policy paperGovernment response tothe national workload actiongroup reportPublished 25 September 2025Applies to England  MenuHome Parenting, childcare and children's services Safeguarding and social care for childrenChild and family social work Government response to the national workload action group reportDepartment for EducationPrint this pageIn January 2023, the national workload action group(NWAG) was established to:find the main causes of unnecessary social work workloaddevelop practical, evidence-based solutionsThe insights and experiences of frontline social workers andcolleagues from across the sector shaped the group’s findings.The report provides a clear analysis of the complex challengessurrounding social work workload. It offers a comprehensive setof recommendations to inform the Department for Education’s(DfE) ongoing reforms in children’s social care, includingreforms delivered through the Families First Partnershipprogramme.The report and associated material provide helpful informationfor all social work leaders and managers, as many of the ways toease unnecessary workload sit at local level.In addition to the report, DfE has worked with Research inPractice to use the initial findings from NWAG to developresources to support practitioners. These resources areavailable on the Support for Social Workers platform andinclude:a self-assessment tool comprising:9 essential conditions for successful hybrid workinga development plan for hybrid working structuresa resource for practitioners in social work and social care atevery level to help improve understanding of effectivesupervision of digital practiceexamples of how different local authorities have usedworkload models to reduce unnecessary workload and maketheir admin more efficienta supervision tool for assessing reflexivity (STAR) fororganisations to use alongside their existing supervisionContentsSupervisionAdministrative supportand use of AI in caserecordingDigital practice andhybrid workingChildren social carereforms and socialwork workloadpolicy4 case studies detailing how different local authorities applycaseload and workload management models to theircaseloadsThese resources aim to help address issues around workloadand retention. We recognise that this requires commitment andcollaboration from all key stakeholders so that future solutionsreflect the diverse needs of local workforces, children andfamilies. This is an opportunity to improve the partnership withthe sector and local authorities. It recognises the systematicissues that impact workload and requires a sustained effort fromus all.Alongside the report, DfE is also publishing the supportingmaterial that informed its development. These reports explorethe 5 prioritised strands, providing a comprehensive breakdownof the activity taken for each strand. This includes:evidence scoping and researchtesting thinking with members of the groupformulating insights and recommendationsDfE is taking measures as a result of the group’s work,prioritising actions that align with and strengthen the existingprogramme of reform in children’s social care.SupervisionDfE supports the report’s conclusion that high-qualitysupervision is essential in helping social workers manage theirworkload effectively. DfE recognises that supervision should beless about process and more focused on supporting the needsof front-line practice.DfE is committed to helping the sector enhance the quality andimpact of supervision. It is exploring a partnership with the NorthWest regional improvement pilot plan to test the effectivenessof the supervision tool for assessing reflexivity (STAR). Thispilot will look at the tool’s impact on front-line supervisionpractice and gather evidence on how it supports reflective,meaningful supervision.The insights and recommendations from the NWAG will directlyinform the development of support for practice supervisors.This will be introduced alongside a new programme for socialworkers in the first 2 years of their career.DfE will also consider how to support continued improvementsin leadership and supervision. Evidence suggests goodleadership and supervision contribute to:continued improvements in practice qualitya more experienced and capable workforceincreased workforce retention with lower vacancy and turnoverrates  Following the outcome of the Spending Review, DfE willconsider additional action to support improvements in the qualityof supervision and leadership, including looking at the benefit ofnational standards and the requirements for any trainingprogrammes.DfE agrees with the group’s assessments that nationalstandards alone will not lead to improvements and that anychanges would require a broad and inclusive consultation.Administrative support and useof AI in case recordingDfE recognises the significant potential of artificial intelligence(AI) to support and enhance the delivery of children’s socialcare. In particular, AI offers opportunities to reduceadministrative burdens on social workers, improve the qualityand timeliness of decision-making, and ultimately contribute tobetter outcomes for children and families.DfE will help to facilitate and empower local authorities and thesocial work workforce to make the most of AI. DfE is committedto ensuring that the development and deployment of AI in thiscontext is ethical, evidence-informed and aligned with the needsof the workforce and the children they serve.DfE has already worked with the Department for Science,Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to publish guidance for localauthorities on how to develop and use data analytics tools inchildren’s social care. This includes an ethics triage self-assessment tool, and an ethics workbook, to supportresponsible innovation and safeguard public trust.DfE will continue to work collaboratively across government,particularly with DSIT to ensure that our digital and workforcestrategies are aligned with the UK’s National AI Strategy. Thisincludes focusing on the long-term needs of the AI ecosystemto support children’s social care, enabling the transition to an AI-enabled public sector that delivers benefits across all regions,and ensuring that governance frameworks promote innovationwhile safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of children andfamilies.To support this aim and build on NWAG’s AI recommendationsrelating to practical application, ethics and guidance, DfE isestablishing a children’s social care data and digital centre ofexcellence. The centre will engage with local authorities togather robust, evidence-based insights into the use of AI inchildren’s social care and design support to help them use thetechnology effectively.The effective and ethical use of AI is underpinned by theavailability of high-quality, interoperable data and the adoption ofcommon standards. DfE’s data standards programme forchildren’s social care is designed to:improve the consistency, quality and accessibility of dataacross children social care systemsfacilitate the interoperability of systems, including the potentialfor integration of AI tools with existing digital infrastructureDevelopments in digital practice, the use of AI and their impacton social work practice are significant features of the work of ourstakeholders. For example, after holding a leadership summiton AI in social work practice, Social Work England (SWE)commissioned exploratory research from Research in Practiceand a literature review from The Open University, to betterunderstand the AI challenges and opportunities in social work.Following the delivery of this research, SWE will host a series ofnational in-person events and a sector-wide event focusedon AI in social work early next year. These will allow for anational conversation on current issues to help shape the futureof social work and regulation.Digital practice and hybridworkingDfE agrees that advancements in digital practices and hybridworking have significantly influenced social work. Thesechanges must be reflected in the resources provided to socialworkers. DfE will continue to promote this in supporting materialand in material developed by our partners.DfE will also collaborate with the Local Government Association(LGA) and the employer standards working group to review theemployer standards for social work, ensuring that they remainrelevant and responsive to the evolving landscape of socialwork.This includes addressing emerging practice challenges such as:integrating anti-discriminatory practice across all levels of theworkforceadapting to hybrid working modelsresponding to the growing role of digital tools and technologyin social work practiceThe employer standards, which are included in the childrensocial care national framework, help employers developeffective workforce strategies. The standards outline theresponsibilities of employers to provide social workers with:a positive working environmentmanageable workloadsaccess to supervisionopportunities for continuing professional developmentChildren social care reformsand social work workloadAs DfE’s programme of reforms in children’s social careembeds, we expect to see changes in social workers’ workloadsand caseloads. This, combined with advice from NWAG, willinform future policy development and thinking on social workworkload.  DfE is in the process of planning evaluations of:the Families First Partnership programmethe preceding Pathfinder programme, where reforms were co-designed and implemented across 10 local authoritiesAs part of this work, we are assessing how the reforms areaffecting staff workload, including participating staff’sperceptions of the impact of the reforms on their workload.DfE recognises the importance of providing data to inform workplanning and help leaders anticipate workflows. To help identifyworkload issues, DfE is planning to collect employment data onlocal authority employed family help practitioners.In addition to drawing on insights from the pathfinderprogramme, DfE will engage extensively with social workersfrom a wide range of backgrounds across the country to informfuture strategic priorities for the workforce.DfE will prioritise areas that complement our overarching aims ofensuring workforce sufficiency, stability and quality of practice.DfE recognises there are already examples of excellent work inthese areas. We aim to work with the sector to highlight andcelebrate good practice through sector communications whereappropriate.Workload is an urgent challenge that needs ongoingattention. DfE will work with the sector, and relevantrepresentative bodies, to explore how to better support socialwork leaders in managing caseloads effectively.Back to topIs this page useful?YesNoReport a problem with this pageServices and informationBenefitsBirths, death, marriages and careBusiness and self-employedChildcare and parentingCitizenship and living in the UKCrime, justice and the lawDisabled peopleDriving and transportEducation and learningEmploying peopleEnvironment and countrysideHousing and local servicesMoney and taxPassports, travel and living abroadVisas and immigrationWorking, jobs and pensionsGovernmentactivityDepartmentsNewsGuidance and regulationResearch and statisticsPolicy papers andconsultationsTransparencyHow government worksGet involvedHelp  Privacy  Cookies  Accessibility statement  Contact  Terms and conditionsRhestr o Wasanaethau Cymraeg  Government Digital ServiceAll content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except whereotherwise stated© Crown copyright

Government response to the national workload action group report : Published 25 September 2025

“Sex is kind of broken now” : children and pornography : August 2025

Reducing unnecessary social worker workload through hybrid working and digital practice : Research report : September 2025

Getting it right from the start : how early years practitioners work with babies and toddlers : Published 30 April 2025

Children’s mental health services 2023-24 : May 2025

Cary, Emma

Webb, Laura

Children's wellbeing in schools

Evaluation of the expansion of funded Early Years Initial Teacher Training : Research report : June 2025

Increasing the use of the Welsh language in the post-16 sectors: Evaluating the effectiveness of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Welsh-medium and bilingual training schemes for the Further Education and Apprenticeships sector : March 2025

Digital Inclusion Action Plan : summary of responses (published 17 July 2025)

Area SEND framework : findings from the first 2 years of inspections : Published 6 June 2025

Not a member yet