--- title: "Fitness to Practise Partner Training Programme" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND" published: "2026-02-25" --- # Fitness to Practise Partner Training Programme Buyer: SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd.json) ## Summary Social Work England, located in Sheffield, has completed the award stage of the procurement process for the "Fitness to Practise Partner Training Programme" under an open procedure. The contract was awarded to FIELDFISHER LLP for the development and delivery of a comprehensive training programme aimed at enhancing the skills of decision-makers in fitness to practise proceedings. The initiative falls under the industry categories of legal advisory, information services, and training services with delivery expected in the UKE32 region of the United Kingdom. The contract is scheduled to run from 25 February 2026 to 25 February 2029, with an option to extend for an additional two years. The total contract value is £354,167 with optional services proposed for potential inclusion to meet operational needs. The tender provides significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in legal training and advisory services within the health and social care regulatory sectors. Companies with proven experience in delivering training to legal or regulatory entities, possessing a strong understanding of the statutory frameworks and adherence to principles of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, would be well-suited for such contracts. The focus on interactive and practice-based learning offers valuable input for businesses aiming to refine and expand their service delivery models while aligning with Social Work England's commitment to quality assurance and ongoing improvement across the spectrum of fitness to practise decision-making processes. ## Notice Social Work England intends to procure a suitably qualified and experienced training provider to design, deliver and continuously improve a comprehensive training programme for Adjudicators, Legal Advisers (Partners) and Case Examiners involved in Fitness to Practise (FtP) decision-making. The programme will support newly appointed decision-makers through mandatory induction training and provide ongoing annual refresher training for existing cohorts, ensuring consistency, legal soundness and quality across all FtP decisions. The appointed provider will be required to develop, implement and deliver training covering the statutory and regulatory framework applicable to Social Work England's adjudication and case examination functions. This includes but is not limited to: the Fitness to Practise Rules 2019 (as amended), the Social Workers Regulations 2018 (as amended), relevant regulatory case law, approaches to impairment, preliminary issues, procedural fairness, managing unrepresented registrants, avoiding bias, the realistic prospect test, and drafting clear and reasoned decisions. The training must incorporate interactive and practice-based learning, with anonymised examples where appropriate. Training for FtP Partners will be delivered remotely. Training for Case Examiners will be delivered through a blend of remote, hybrid or in-person sessions, including an initial two-day programme. The contract includes the development of webinars, e-learning modules, virtual workshops, peer-led learning forums and reflective practice groups to broaden access through Social Work England's digital learning platform. All training must incorporate principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, including relevant legal duties, unconscious bias mitigation and cultural competence. The provider will collaborate closely with Social Work England's Fitness to Practise, Legal and ED&I teams in planning, reviewing and refining the training offer. They will also be responsible for supplying training materials, pre-reading, recordings and an annual programme of delivery. Ongoing evaluation and quarterly performance reporting will be required, alongside participation in continuous improvement activity informed by appeals, Professional Standards Authority learning and internal quality assurance. The initial contract term will be three years, with the option to extend for a further two years. ### Lot Information Lot 1 Options: The contract may include optional additional services proposed by the supplier, which the authority may take up at its discretion if deemed to meet organisational needs. These optional services are not guaranteed and will be subject to agreement following award. Renewal: The authority may, at its sole discretion, exercise extension options of up to an additional two years (in one or more increments), contingent upon ongoing requirements and acceptable contractor performance. ### Planning Information Social Work England is seeking to engage with the market in preparation for a potential future procurement. As part of this early engagement, we invite interested organisations to complete the Market Engagement Questionnaire which is available on the Social Work England website here: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/media/xpbj1ld3/swe10553-expression-of-interest-questionnaire.docx Please return the completed questionnaire by 17:30 on 14 October 2025 by email to tenders@socialworkengland.org.uk This is not a call for competition or part of a formal procurement process, but a means of gathering information to help inform our approach. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016914-2026 | | Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Planning, Tender, Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 25 Feb 2026 | | Submission deadline | 19 Dec 2025 | | Future notice date | 7 Nov 2025 | | Award date | 19 Jan 2026 | | Contract period | 25 Feb 2026 - 25 Feb 2029 | | Recurrence | 2030-11-01 | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £354,167 | | Lots value | £354,167 | | Awards value | £354,167 | | Contracts value | £354,167 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Complete | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | SOCIAL WORK ENGLAND | | Locality | SHEFFIELD | | Post town | Sheffield | | Postcode | S3 8JY | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber | | ITL 2 | TLE3 South Yorkshire | | ITL 3 | TLE32 Sheffield | | Local authority | Sheffield | | Electoral ward | City | | Westminster constituency | Sheffield Central | | Delivery location | TLE32 Sheffield | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | FIELDFISHER | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security - 80 - Education and training services ### Codes - 79140000 - Legal advisory and information services - 80500000 - Training services ## Release History - 25 Feb 2026 at 13:58 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016914-2026 - 20 Jan 2026 at 16:13 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004994-2026 - 3 Dec 2025 at 12:43 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079334-2025 - 30 Sep 2025 at 13:44 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060929-2025 - 18 Aug 2025 at 12:10 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049480-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016914-2026 25th February 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004994-2026 20th January 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079334-2025 3rd December 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060929-2025 30th September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049480-2025 18th August 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/socialworkengland/aspx/Home Full tender documents are available to all suppliers via Social Work England's e-procurement website. ## Notice URLs - https://www.fieldfisher.com/en - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk - https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/media/xpbj1ld3/swe10553-expression-of-interest-questionnaire.docx ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0589bd.json.