About our practice
Private Social Work in England and Wales
What private social work is, how it is regulated, and when instructing independently is the right call
What private social work actually is
A private social worker is a registered social worker who is instructed directly by a family, a solicitor, a deputy, an attorney, a local authority or a court, rather than working within a statutory team. The registration, the professional standards and the accountability are identical. What changes is who instructs, how quickly the work can start, and the fact that the scope and the fee are agreed in advance.
Plain English
For families and professionals
England and Wales
National coverage
Registered professionals
Written and reviewed
When people instruct a private social worker
The most common instructions we receive are:
- A decision-specific mental capacity assessment for a will, a property transaction, an LPA or a gift
- Evidence for the Court of Protection, including COP3 assessments and property sale evidence
- NHS Continuing Healthcare support at Checklist, Decision Support Tool, appeal or retrospective stage
- An independent needs assessment and care plan for someone funding their own care
- EHCP and SEND support for a child or young person, through Little Nellies
- Expert evidence in civil, family or Court of Protection proceedings
How to choose an independent social work practice
Independence and registration are the baseline. Beyond that, the questions that separate practices are:
- Are practitioners employed, or booked from an associate panel case by case?
- Is there a second qualified professional who reviews the work before it is delivered?
- Is the fee fixed and confirmed in writing before instruction?
- How many assessments of this specific type has the practice completed?
- Is there psychological as well as social work expertise available in-house?
- Will the practice tell you when an instruction is outside its expertise?
What should make you pause
- A fee that cannot be confirmed until after the visit
- An assessor who will not confirm their regulator or registration number
- A report written by someone who did not meet the person
- A practice that has never declined an instruction
- Any suggestion that the conclusion can be influenced by who is paying
- A fee that cannot be confirmed until after the visit
- An assessor who will not confirm their regulator or registration number
- A report written by someone who did not meet the person
- A practice that has never declined an instruction
- Any suggestion that the conclusion can be influenced by who is paying
How the practice model changes the product
1. Employed practitioners. A practice that employs its practitioners can supervise, train and review them continuously. A practice that books associates case by case cannot, and the standard varies with whoever is free that week.
2. Multidisciplinary input. Social work sits alongside psychology, so a case needing cognitive or psychological input does not have to be handed to a different organisation.
3. Peer review. A second qualified professional reviews every report. This is only possible where there is a second qualified professional inside the practice.
4. Consistency at scale. The same report structure, the same evidential standard and the same review process apply whether the instruction comes from a family or from a court.
How Nellie Supports practises
Nellie Supports is England and Wales' largest identified specialist private social work and mental capacity assessment practice, with over 11,000 formal assessments and reports completed. Practitioners are permanent employees, social work led, with psychological expertise in the team. Scope and fee are confirmed in writing before instruction, and every report is peer reviewed by a second qualified professional before delivery.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a private social worker the same as a local authority social worker?
The registration and the professional standards are the same. The difference is who instructs the work and how it is funded, not the qualification.
Can a private social work report be used in court?
Yes, where it is prepared to the standard the court requires. Expert evidence for court proceedings is written to the CPR Part 35 framework, including the expert's duty to the court.
Does instructing privately remove the local authority's duties?
No. Statutory duties remain owed. An independent assessment can evidence a need or a decision, but it does not transfer or discharge anyone else's legal obligations.
Who can instruct you?
Families, deputies and attorneys, solicitors, local authorities, Integrated Care Boards and the courts.
Do you work across the whole of England and Wales?
Yes. We work nationally, in person or remotely depending on the service.
This page describes how Nellie Supports practises in England and Wales. It is general information about our practice and professional standards, not legal advice, and it does not create a professional relationship on its own.