ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the regulatory and organisational context of social work in England, shows the range of different agencies involved in prescribing, delivering and monitoring it. It describes the main organisations and structures for social work in England, and identifies the main similarities and differences with the other UK countries. The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for welfare benefits and welfare to work programmes in England, Wales and Scotland. One of the early acts of the Conservative Liberal Democrat government, in June 2010, was to commission Professor Eileen Munro to undertake an independent review of the child protection system in England. High standards and effective regulation are crucial because social work affects the lives of people who may not always be able to safeguard their own interests, and it involves large amounts of public money. This complexity makes change and regulation much more difficult than often portrayed by inquiries, political comment and media accounts.
