Social Work Bursary and the Education Support Grant Consultation response

This paper sets out the Local Government Association’s proposed responses to the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation on the Social Work Bursary and the Education Support Grant. The consultation is being conducted through an online survey, and the response must be submitted via the official digital form. The draft positions provided here reflect the LGA’s analysis of the proposals and sector feedback and will be entered into the online consultation form once approval has been granted.

27 Mar 2026

Introduction

Purpose and proposals of the consultation

The Government is consulting on proposed reforms to the Social Work Bursary (SWB) and Education Support Grant (ESG), which have supported social work students since 2003. The consultation seeks views on how these schemes can be modernised to better address rising training costs, sustained workforce shortages, and challenges in securing high quality practice placements. Proposals include options for rebalancing bursary funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students, exploring whether elements of the SWB should be income assessed, improving travel support for placements, and strengthening or redesigning the ESG so that it supports high quality, practice-based learning. The consultation aims to ensure the future supply of skilled social workers across adults and children’s services, the NHS, and the voluntary sector, while widening access to the profession and removing financial barriers for students.

Summary of the LGA response

Our response emphasises that the SWB and ESG must be considered together, as each fulfils a distinct and essential function: the bursary supports students to enter and sustain their training, while the ESG funds the placement infrastructure that enables qualification. The response highlights significant workforce pressures evidenced through the LGA Employer Standards Health Check, including high vacancy levels, workload intensity and challenges in securing sufficient placement capacity. These factors reinforce the need to maintain both schemes, strengthen financial support and avoid redistributing funding away from either mechanism. Our response supports preserving the balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students, expanding support for disabled students and those with caring responsibilities, care leavers, improving travel reimbursement, and enhancing the quality of placements through investment in practice educators, administration, skills development and lived experience involvement.

The response also identifies several opportunities to improve how funding supports the workforce pipeline. These include supporting return to practice routes, ensuring parity with teacher training and nursing support models, enhancing hardship provision, and allocating ESG funding through a needs-based model that reflects regional pressures, rural travel demands and the cost of complex placements. The overarching message is that reforms should widen participation, improve student experience, support a diverse and capable workforce and ensure stable, predictable funding that allows councils, higher education institutions and providers to plan effectively. The LGA response therefore advocates for protecting the overall level of investment in both schemes, ensuring changes reduce barriers rather than create new ones, and aligning social work with other key public service professions in recognition of its essential contribution to social care, safeguarding and community wellbeing.

Online consultation questions

This section contains the consultation questions and our responses in purple.

About you

In what capacity are you responding to this survey?

An individual sharing my personal views (including social work students)
An individual sharing my professional views (including current social workers and people working in higher education)
On behalf of an organisation

Questions for organisations

The survey is only open to organisations who operate or provide services in the UK.

Where does your organisation operate or provide services? Select all that apply.

England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
The whole of the UK
Outside the UK

Selecting only ‘Outside the UK’ will end the survey.

What type of organisation are you responding on behalf of? (Optional)

Higher education institution
Local authority
Other provider of social work services
Trade union
NHS trust
Students’ union
Charity
Other representative body of social workers or social work students
Other, please specify

What is the name of your organisation? (Optional)

Local Government Association

The balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students

Currently, postgraduate students make up 29 per cent of all SWB students and receive 48% of all SWB funding. However, postgraduate students in receipt of the SWB are not eligible for a Master’s Loan, while undergraduate students do have access to loans and allowances through SFE.

Further information is available in the sections of the consultation document on the balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students and considerations around placements.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with increasing the overall proportion of SWB funding that is allocated towards postgraduate students?

This question relates only to the SWB funding. Increasing funding to postgraduate students would likely mean decreasing the funding allocated to undergraduate students (and the other way around) or reducing the number of students supported. (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

If we did not increase the proportion of SWB funding that is allocated towards postgraduate students, which of these options would you prefer? (Optional)

Allocate all SWB funding to undergraduate students, discontinuing the bursary for postgraduate students (postgraduates would still be able to apply for student finance)
Increase the proportion of SWB funding allocated to undergraduate students, but maintain a reduced bursary for postgraduate students
Keep the proportion of SWB funding allocated to undergraduate and postgraduate students the same
Don’t know
Other, please specify

If we increased the proportion of the SWB funding that is allocated towards postgraduate students, which of these options would you prefer? (Optional)

Allocate all SWB funding to postgraduate students, discontinuing the bursary for undergraduates (undergraduates would still be able to apply for student finance)
Increase the proportion of SWB funding allocated to postgraduate students, but maintain a reduced SWB for undergraduate students
Keep the proportion of SWB funding allocated to undergraduate and postgraduate students the same
Don’t know
Other, please specify

Please explain your answers to the above questions. (Optional, maximum 500 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association recognises the essential contribution that both undergraduate and postgraduate routes make to the future social work workforce. Current data shows a profession experiencing sustained workforce pressures, with high vacancy levels, rising demand and significant retention challenges identified through the Employer Standards Health Check surveys which report widespread concerns around workload, stress and the ability of organisations to maintain staffing levels at the required scale to deliver safe and effective services. High turnover affects continuity, quality of decision making, outcomes for people, staff wellbeing and organisational memory, and increases reliance on agency workers. Early career stages are particularly high risk.

In this context, the Local Government Association does not take a position that either undergraduate or postgraduate bursary funding should be increased at the expense of the other. Both routes serve different but equally important purposes. Undergraduate pathways support the long-term stability and volume of the future workforce, while postgraduate pathways often attract mature students, individuals with professional or life experience, and career changers who bring valuable skills into practice environments. Each route supports different groups into social work, and both are needed to meet sector wide demands.

The bursary system also places postgraduate students at a financial disadvantage, as those in receipt of the Social Work Bursary are not eligible for the Masters Loan, while undergraduates retain access to tuition and maintenance support through Student Finance England. Increasing support for postgraduates without reducing opportunities for undergraduates would be the most equitable approach. However, redistribution between the existing groups does not address the central challenge identified across the sector. Application numbers for bursaries have declined in recent years and the total fund remains significantly lower than comparable public service bursaries.

Councils also report difficulties recruiting sufficient newly qualified social workers to fill vacancies. While some areas, such as Gateshead working with the University of Sunderland, have developed strong apprenticeship pipelines, these remain the exception. Barriers to joining the profession include the fact that postgraduate students who receive the Social Work Bursary are not eligible for other education grants, which can act as a disincentive, and the limited availability of practice educators within councils, many of whom undertake the role on top of demanding caseloads.

Comparable professions receive far greater financial incentives. In teaching, bursaries range from £5,000 to £29,000 and up to £31,000 through scholarships. Nursing and allied health students benefit from a universal non repayable training grant of £5,000 and additional support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. In contrast, the Social Work Bursary provides lower levels of support and is capped in volume. Any review of the balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate social work students should therefore consider wider parity with other public sector professions facing national shortages.

We would also highlight the importance of supporting pathways for returning social work professionals. Many former social workers require postgraduate level refresher courses, supervised practice or part time study in order to re enter the profession and register with the regulator. Financial barriers remain one of the key challenges to attracting experienced practitioners back into the workforce. Strengthening bursary access for returners and ensuring that any changes do not adversely affect this group will help retain skilled practitioners and improve workforce resilience.

Overall, we support an approach that maintains bursary funding across both undergraduate and postgraduate routes, avoids reducing the number of students supported, and focuses on improving the overall level of financial assistance available. Ensuring equitable access to both entry routes, alongside supporting returners to practice, will contribute to a more stable, diverse and sustainable workforce.

Travel to practice placements

The Placement Travel Allowance (PTA) is currently allocated to recipients of the SWB as part of their total SWB, and to non-SWB students who meet the residency and course criteria.

It is currently allocated as a flat rate to all recipients.

See the ‘Travel to practice placements’ section in the consultation document for more information.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that we should move to a process of reimbursing actual travel costs (up to a limited amount)? (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association agrees with moving from a flat rate Placement Travel Allowance to a system that reimburses actual travel costs. The current flat rate of £862.50 does not reflect the significant variation in placement travel requirements across regions, particularly in rural and semi-rural areas where distances can be considerably longer. This can create inequity among students undertaking the same programme of learning but facing very different travel costs.

Findings from the Employer Standards Health Check show ongoing pressures on the social care workforce, including workload intensity and challenges relating to travel and capacity, which in turn affect placement availability and quality. These conditions mean that students must sometimes travel further to secure an appropriate placement opportunity, and a flat allowance does not provide adequate support for these circumstances.

Comparable public sector professions already operate more equitable funding models. Nursing and allied health students are eligible for reimbursement of actual travel and accommodation costs through the NHS Learning Support Fund, which ensures that no student is disadvantaged by unavoidable placement related expenses. The adoption of a similar approach in social work would support parity across public service professions and prevent financial barriers that may disproportionately affect low-income students, mature learners and those returning to the profession.

Reimbursing actual travel costs would therefore help ensure fair access to placements, support a more inclusive student population and strengthen workforce supply by reducing financial obstacles to completing practice learning.

Whether the SWB should be means-tested

Currently, no element of the undergraduate SWB is allocated based on financial need. If, following this consultation, the Government decides to continue with the undergraduate SWB, some or all of it could be income assessed and allocated based on greatest financial need.

Which of the following options would you be most supportive of for the undergraduate SWB? You will have opportunity to give us any alternative suggestions or preferences in the free-text box following this question. (Optional)

Keep the undergraduate SWB as is, without income assessment
Make some but not all of the undergraduate funding income assessed
Make all undergraduate SWB funding income assessed, allocating it to those with the greatest financial need
Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association supports a balanced approach to means testing for the undergraduate Social Work Bursary. Introducing an income assessed element can improve fairness, but it is important that this does not rely solely on parental or household income. Household income is often not reflective of the actual circumstances of social work students, many of whom are independent, mature learners, care experienced, estranged from family, or balancing caring responsibilities. A universal element should therefore remain in order to maintain accessibility and support a diverse entry pipeline.

Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check highlights workforce pressures, including high workload demands and retention challenges, reinforcing the need to protect wide access to the profession and avoid financial barriers that may reduce the number of students able to enter training. Comparable public sector professions such as teaching and nursing operate universal bursary models that help attract applicants into shortage areas and do not use means testing for their core bursary offers. To ensure social work remains competitive with these professions, any means testing introduced should be proportionate and carefully designed.

There is evidence from other sectors that targeted means tested support can be effective when it focuses on individual hardship rather than household assumptions. The City and Guilds Foundation bursary scheme demonstrates that needs-based assessment can successfully widen participation and support learners facing financial barriers into skills shortage areas. Ensuring that any new approach follows this model would help protect disadvantaged groups while maintaining a universal foundation that sustains entry into the profession.

Postgraduate SWB

Currently, the postgraduate SWB includes:

non-income assessed elements worth up to £7,414.50 (£7,814.50 in London), including a tuition fee contribution
income assessed elements worth up to £2,721 (£4,201 in London)

Postgraduate students are also eligible for allowances based on disability and income assessed allowances for financial dependants.

Which of the following options would you be most supportive of for the postgraduate SWB? You will have opportunity to give us any alternative suggestions or preferences in the free-text box following this question. (Optional)

Remove income assessment from the postgraduate SWB entirely
Reduce the proportion of income assessed funding, but do not remove it entirely
Keep the proportions of income assessed and non-income assessed funding about the same as they are now
Increase the proportion of income assessed funding, but maintain a non-income assessed element
Make all postgraduate SWB funding income assessed
Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional)

LGA view: The Local Government Association supports reducing the proportion of income assessed funding within the postgraduate Social Work Bursary while retaining a degree of means testing to ensure that support continues to reach those with the greatest financial need. Postgraduate students frequently have significant financial commitments that include dependent children, caring responsibilities and housing costs. These factors create pressure that can deter individuals from entering or remaining in postgraduate social work training unless a proportion of the bursary remains non income assessed and accessible at the point of entry.

At the same time, removing income assessment entirely could result in bursary resources being spread less effectively. Targeting a proportion of the support toward those with the highest financial need remains important in ensuring equity and supporting widening access. Evidence from the City and Guilds Foundation bursary scheme shows that needs-based assessment focused on individual financial hardship can be effective in supporting learners who face barriers to accessing training in shortage sectors.

Postgraduate social work students also remain in a different financial position from undergraduates because those in receipt of the Social Work Bursary are not eligible for the Masters Loan through Student Finance England. Maintaining a substantial non income assessed component is therefore necessary to ensure the postgraduate route remains viable. Comparable public service professions such as teaching provide postgraduate bursaries that are allocated without income assessment as a way of attracting career changers into shortage subjects.

Reducing but not removing the income assessed element provides a balanced approach that supports fairness, accessibility and workforce sustainability.

Whether there should be a social work specific hardship fund for students on HEI courses

A fund could be made available to support social work students going through financial hardship who have exhausted all other funding sources. The typical range for hardship payments is £100 to £3,000, subject to an assessment of need.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with introducing a hardship fund for social work students who have exhausted all other funding sources, even if it means reducing the funding available for bursaries? (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

If a hardship fund was introduced, which group or groups of students do you think should be able to apply for it? Select all groups that you think should be able to apply. (Optional)

Students in receipt of the SWB
Students who applied for the SWB and met the criteria but did not receive it (for example, because the HEI had already used its full quota of bursaries)
Students not in receipt of the SWB (either because they were ineligible or didn’t apply)
Don’t know

Please explain your answers to the above questions. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association agrees that a dedicated hardship fund for social work students would provide important additional support for those who experience financial difficulty during their training. Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check highlights substantial pressures across the workforce, including high workload demands, financial strain and significant levels of stress. These pressures can also affect students who often balance academic requirements, placement responsibilities and caring commitments. A targeted hardship fund would help prevent avoidable withdrawal from programmes by supporting students who face sudden or exceptional financial challenges.

Introducing a hardship fund would also bring social work in line with comparable public service professions. Nursing and allied health students have access to a dedicated hardship fund through the NHS Learning Support Fund, recognising the intensity and unpredictability of placement demands and the need to remove financial barriers that may prevent students from completing their training. Establishing a similar mechanism for social work would support parity across sectors and contribute to a more stable workforce pipeline.

We consider it important that hardship support is accessible to all groups of students who may require it. This includes students in receipt of the Social Work Bursary, students who met the eligibility criteria but did not receive a bursary because of capped places, and students who are not in receipt of the bursary for other reasons. In addition to many others such as care leavers, who may have limited financial safety nets and face additional pressures during placement periods, especially when travel or relocation is required. Financial hardship is not limited to any single group and support should therefore be available on the basis of individual need.

Support for students with disabilities and/or financial dependants

One of the potential courses of action we are consulting on is whether funding should be more targeted to support students with disabilities and/or financial dependants. See the ‘Whether the support for disabled students and students with children or adult dependants should change’ section of the consultation document for more information.

Currently, undergraduate students can access the general pool of disability and dependants’ allowances from SFE. Postgraduate students have access to additional funding from the SWB to cover adult dependants, childcare and disabilities.

See the consultation document for more information on current rates.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proportion of SWB funding to support postgraduate students with disabilities should be increased? (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association strongly agrees that the proportion of Social Work Bursary funding allocated to postgraduate students with disabilities should be increased. Students with disabilities face additional and often unavoidable costs associated with training, including higher travel expenses, specialist equipment, increased energy costs and accessibility adjustments when undertaking practice placements. These costs can exceed the support currently available and may act as a significant barrier to entering or progressing through postgraduate social work programmes.

Findings from the Employer Standards Health Check highlight the pressures within the social care workforce, including high workload demands and challenges around recruitment and retention. Supporting disabled postgraduate students to access and remain in training contributes directly to workforce sustainability and strengthens the diversity and capability of the profession.

Comparable public service professions, including nursing and allied health, provide enhanced support for disabled students through the NHS Learning Support Fund. This approach acknowledges the real-world financial pressures associated with training and placements and ensures a more equitable experience for students with additional needs. Introducing similar targeted measures within the postgraduate Social Work Bursary would ensure parity across essential public service professions.

Additional support would also benefit returning professionals who may face financial challenges linked to disability when undertaking refresher training or re registration. Ensuring that funding mechanisms recognise individual costs rather than relying on household income creates a more inclusive system that supports students with disabilities to successfully enter or re-enter the social work profession.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proportion of SWB funding to support postgraduate students with financial dependants should be increased? (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association strongly agrees that the proportion of Social Work Bursary funding allocated to postgraduate students with financial dependants should be increased. Postgraduate students frequently have significant caring responsibilities, including dependent children and adult dependants, and these responsibilities create considerable financial pressure throughout the duration of training. Placement requirements, travel demands and limited capacity for paid employment further increase the financial burden on students with dependants.

Workforce evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check highlights the challenges local authorities face in recruiting and retaining social workers, including high workload demands and increasing levels of burnout. Supporting students with dependants to access postgraduate training is essential for widening participation and enabling individuals with valuable life experience to enter or return to the profession. This contributes to a more stable and capable future workforce.

Other public service professions have already recognised the importance of providing targeted support for dependants. Nursing and allied health students are eligible for parental support and hardship funding through the NHS Learning Support Fund, which helps mitigate the financial impact of caring responsibilities and increases the likelihood of successful course completion.

Increasing targeted support for postgraduate social work students with dependants would improve equity within the bursary system and ensure that individuals with caring responsibilities are not disadvantaged in comparison to those entering other shortage professions. This approach also supports returning professionals who may be balancing study with caring duties and require additional financial assistance to re-enter the workforce.

Alternative uses of the SWB budget

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the SWB should continue? (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

If the SWB was discontinued, what effect do you think this would have on our ability to address barriers to accessing and completing social work courses? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association strongly agrees that the Social Work Bursary should continue. If the bursary were discontinued, there would be significant negative consequences for access, participation and completion across social work education. The Employer Standards Health Check highlights persistent workforce pressures including high vacancy levels, increasing demand and concerns about workload and retention. These conditions underline the need for strong entry routes into the profession and indicate that removing financial support would create a major barrier to recruitment at a time when the workforce is already under strain.

Social work students face additional mandatory costs that are not present in many other degree pathways. These include travel to mandatory practice placements, placement related expenses and requirements associated with professional registration. Without bursary support, many students would be unable to meet these costs and would face increased financial hardship which would risk lower completion rates and higher levels of withdrawal.

Comparable public service professions have strengthened their financial support to attract and retain trainees. Teacher training bursaries of up to £31,000 and the NHS Learning Support Fund, which provides nursing and allied health students with a universal £5,000 grant plus further allowances, demonstrate a national commitment to supporting shortage professions. Removing the Social Work Bursary would place social work at a comparative financial disadvantage and undermine efforts to attract applicants.

DHSC has noted that although the bursary can support up to 4,000 students per year, take-up has fallen in recent years. Further analysis is needed to understand the reasons behind this decline. Increased cost of living and placement-related expenses may play a role, but there may be other systemic or financial barriers that require exploration.

Additionally, the bursary plays an essential role in widening participation, supporting mature students, career changers and care experienced individuals. Removing it would reduce diversity and limit opportunities for those who bring valuable experience to the profession.

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, if the SWB was discontinued, what effect would this have on your organisation? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

If you are a current or prospective student, to what extent do you agree or disagree that you would choose or have chosen to study social work if the SWB had not been available to you? (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

To what extent do you agree or disagree that there are alternative ways that some or all of the SWB budget could be more effectively used to achieve its objective? This would mean the SWB would be reduced or discontinued. (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

How else could the budget be used? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association does not consider that the Social Work Bursary budget should be reduced or replaced. However, if the question is interpreted as exploring how additional or separate investment could be allocated to support the workforce, there are several areas where targeted funding would provide significant benefit and contribute to workforce sustainability.

One priority area is the development and support of practice educators. The Employer Standards Health Check highlights workload pressures and the difficulty organisations face in maintaining sufficient capacity to offer high quality placements. Increasing funding for practice educator training, accreditation and supervision would strengthen placement quality and expand the number of available learning opportunities.

Further investment could also support structured return to practice schemes. Experienced practitioners who have left the profession often face financial barriers when undertaking refresher training or supervised practice. Funding dedicated re-entry support would help bring back skilled professionals who can contribute immediately to service delivery.

Improving placement travel reimbursement is another area where targeted funding would remove barriers to completion. Comparable professions, such as nursing, receive travel and accommodation reimbursement through the NHS Learning Support Fund, ensuring that students are not disadvantaged by unavoidable costs linked to placement allocation.

Conclusion, supplementary hardship funding would provide essential support for students who face sudden or exceptional financial pressures, reducing the risk of withdrawal and promoting retention. These measures should be considered additional to the bursary rather than alternatives to it.

Equalities

We are interested in understanding the potential effects of SWB reforms on groups who share protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are:

age
disability
gender reassignment
marriage and civil partnership
pregnancy and maternity
race
religion or belief
sex
sexual orientation

We are also interested in understanding how reforms could affect people who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Are there any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or a socioeconomic background, who you believe would be positively affected by any of the potential changes to the SWB? (Optional)

Yes
No
Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the groups you think would be positively affected, and how. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association considers that several groups would be positively affected by reforms to the Social Work Bursary that increase targeted support. Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check highlights that the social care workforce continues to experience significant pressure, including high workload demands and recruitment challenges. Strengthening financial support for disadvantaged student groups would help widen participation and support a more sustainable pipeline into the profession.

Low-income students would benefit from any move toward means testing that is based on individual financial circumstances rather than household or parental income. This approach aligns with other public sector schemes, such as the City and Guilds Foundation bursary programme, where support is targeted at individuals facing financial hardship and barriers to entering skills shortage professions.

Disabled students would also benefit from reforms that enhance targeted funding. Placement related costs for disabled learners, including travel and specialist equipment, can exceed the support available. Comparable professions, including nursing, provide additional allowances through the NHS Learning Support Fund, which recognises these pressures and offers enhanced disability and hardship support.

Students with children and those with adult dependants would be supported by an increased level of financial assistance, which would reduce barriers linked to childcare, caring responsibilities and limited capacity for paid employment.

Mature learners and returning professionals who are re-entering the workforce would also benefit from more flexible and accessible funding. Enhanced support would assist individuals balancing caring responsibilities, part time study or refresher training, enabling experienced practitioners to contribute to workforce capacity.

Are there any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or a socioeconomic background, who you believe would be negatively affected by any of the potential changes to the SWB? (Optional)

Yes
No
Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the groups you think would be negatively affected, and how. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

LGA view: The Local Government Association considers that several groups may be negatively affected depending on how the Social Work Bursary is reformed. Any move toward expanded means testing that relies on household or parental income could disadvantage students whose financial circumstances are not accurately reflected by these measures. This includes students from middle income households who fall just above income thresholds, but who do not receive meaningful financial support from families, as well as students whose parents are unwilling or unable to contribute despite appearing able to do so on paper. Evidence from national bursary schemes shows that household-based assessments can create inequities when family support is inconsistent or unavailable.

Students who currently rely on the universal element of the undergraduate bursary may also be negatively affected if too great a proportion of funding becomes targeted. For many students, particularly younger learners and those entering straight from school, a universal bursary helps offset placement related costs that are unavoidable and not covered through standard student finance. The Employer Standards Health Check highlights wider workforce pressures which indicate that reducing financial accessibility could further limit participation in a profession already facing shortages.

Additionally, students living in households where support is not forthcoming despite moderate income levels, including care experienced young people and estranged students, may face increased financial barriers if household income becomes the primary determinant for support. Ensuring future reforms consider individual financial circumstances rather than assumptions about family support will therefore be essential.

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Education Support Grant

The following section asks about the ESG, which supports organisations to support practice placements for social work students.

Would you like to answer questions about the ESG?

ESG effectiveness

See the relevant section in the consultation document for more information.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the ESG is necessary to support high-quality, practice-based learning? (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the ESG currently provides enough funding for your organisation to support practice placements? (Optional)

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don’t know
Not applicable

If the ESG was discontinued, what effect do you think this would have on our ability to facilitate and support high-quality, practice-based learning? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The Local Government Association considers the Education Support Grant to be essential for supporting high quality, practice-based learning. Discontinuing the ESG would have a significant and immediate negative impact on the sector’s ability to facilitate and maintain social work placements. The Employer Standards Health Check highlights substantial workforce pressures across local authorities, including high workload demands, recruitment challenges and limited capacity to support students. Removing the ESG would intensify these pressures and reduce the ability of organisations to host placements safely and consistently.

Higher education institutions already report difficulty in sourcing sufficient placement opportunities, and the ESG provides the funding needed to coordinate placements, support practice educators and meet administrative and quality assurance requirements. Without this support, placement availability would fall, and the quality and safety of practice learning environments would be compromised. This would affect student progression, placement outcomes and the overall pipeline of newly qualified social workers.

Social work, like nursing, relies heavily on practice-based learning as a mandatory part of training. Nursing placement systems are supported through the NHS Learning Support Fund, which includes reimbursement for travel and dual accommodation to ensure placements remain viable across diverse geographical areas. Social work does not have an equivalent mechanism outside the ESG. Removing the ESG would therefore place social work at a disadvantage compared to other practice-based professions and risk widening inequalities in placement access, particularly in rural and high cost areas.

Maintaining the ESG is essential to protecting placement capacity and ensuring a stable future workforce.

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation or sharing your professional views, does your organisation or employer currently receive the ESG? (Optional)

Yes
No
Don’t know
Not applicable

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, if the ESG was discontinued, what effect would this have on your organisation? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The balance between the ESG components

The ESG funding is currently spilt into:

a contribution for skills development days
a contribution for practice placements days
a contribution to fund administration for these 2 activities
a grant to fund service user and carer involvement in course design

For each of these elements, please indicate whether you think the proportion of funding should discontinue entirely, decrease, remain the same or increase.

These questions are asking about the proportion of ESG spending, not monetary amounts. If you think one element should have a higher proportion of the total ESG funding, then at least one other element should have a lower proportion.

Skills development days (currently 8% of ESG funding). (Optional)

Discontinue entirely
Decrease
Remain about the same
Increase
Don’t know

Practice placement days (currently 81% of ESG funding). (Optional)

Discontinue entirely
Decrease
Remain about the same
Increase
Don’t know

Administrative fund (currently 8% of ESG funding). (Optional)

Discontinue entirely
Decrease
Remain about the same
Increase
Don’t know

Fund for service user and carer involvement in course design (currently 3% of ESG funding). (Optional)

Discontinue entirely
Decrease
Remain about the same
Increase
Don’t know

Please explain your answers. (Optional, maximum 500 words)

The Local Government Association supports increasing the proportion of funding allocated to each component of the Education Support Grant. The ESG plays an essential role in sustaining high quality practice-based learning, and increasing support across all elements would strengthen placement delivery at a time when the social work workforce faces significant and well evidenced pressures.

Findings from the Employer Standards Health Check highlight persistent challenges across local authorities, including high workload demands, difficulties with staff capacity, and pressure on teams that are responsible for hosting and supervising students. These pressures limit the availability of placements and the ability of organisations to offer the level of support required to maintain quality. Increasing the proportion of funding for practice placement days is therefore critical to supporting placement capacity, improving learning conditions and ensuring that student supervision remains safe and effective.

Skills development days are an important part of preparing students for frontline practice, particularly in complex settings. Increasing funding for these activities would enable higher education institutions and employers to deliver more comprehensive skills-based learning that equips students to transition effectively into the workplace.

Administrative functions associated with placements, including matching students to practice settings, quality assurance, and maintaining compliance with regulatory standards, require significant time and resource. Increasing the proportion of ESG funding for administration would acknowledge this often-unseen workload and support organisations to meet expectations consistently.

Service user and carer involvement is fundamental to high quality social work education. It ensures that students develop insight into lived experience, ethical practice, and reflective decision making. This component currently represents only three per cent of ESG funding. Increasing this proportion would provide greater recognition of the importance of lived experience in shaping effective and compassionate professional practice.

Comparable public service professions demonstrate the value of targeted investment in practice learning. Nursing and allied health programmes receive support through the NHS Learning Support Fund, which includes reimbursement for placement travel and accommodation and financial support that directly strengthens practice-based training infrastructure. Maintaining and increasing the ESG is vital to ensuring that social work does not fall behind other practice-based professions in the level of support available to learners.

These enhancements would also benefit returning professionals. Many returners have caring responsibilities, health conditions or financial pressures that make re-entering the workforce more challenging. Improving practice educator capacity, strengthening placement infrastructure and enhancing user and carer involvement would support safer and more accessible routes back into the profession for experienced workers who are essential to workforce sustainability.

Increasing the proportional funding for all components of the ESG would therefore improve placement quality, support workforce development, enhance educational outcomes and ensure a more resilient and inclusive training system.

Alternative uses for the ESG

Are there any additional functions that the ESG should be used for? (Optional)

Yes
No
Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the additional functions you would like to see included in the ESG and why. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The Local Government Association considers that there are several additional functions that the Education Support Grant could support in order to strengthen practice-based learning and improve workforce sustainability. The Employer Standards Health Check identifies persistent pressures across local authorities, including limited capacity for supervision and a need for improved access to Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CPD remains one of the lowest scoring employer standards, demonstrating the need for further investment in professional learning infrastructure. Expanding the ESG to fund practice educator training, accreditation and ongoing CPD would help ensure consistent quality in student supervision and address a key workforce development gap.

The ESG could also support structured return to practice pathways. Many experienced practitioners face financial and practical barriers when re-entering the profession, including the need for supervised practice and refresher training. Targeted ESG funding to support returners would strengthen workforce capacity and make best use of existing professional expertise.

In addition, the ESG could support digital skills development and training in modern recording systems. Digital capability is essential for contemporary social work practice and students benefit from early exposure to the tools and systems used across local authorities.

Additionally, ESG funding could support targeted pathways for people with lived experience of the care system. This could include bridging courses, preplacement preparation or funded mentoring programmes many students such as care leavers, recognising the unique contribution of lived experience to the profession. The City and Guilds Foundation bursary model demonstrates that supporting individuals who face financial barriers and have valuable lived experience can widen participation and strengthen the pipeline into shortage sectors.

These enhancements would complement existing ESG functions and improve the overall quality and accessibility of practice learning.

Are there alternative ways that some or all of the ESG budget could be used more effectively to support high-quality, practice-based learning? (Optional)

Yes
No
Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the alternative ways the budget could be used to achieve this and why. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The Local Government Association considers that there are several alternative approaches that could strengthen the impact of the Education Support Grant and further support high quality practice-based learning. Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check demonstrates that local authorities continue to face significant workforce pressures, including high workloads and limited capacity for student supervision. These pressures affect the availability and quality of student placements and highlight the need for targeted investment that supports practice readiness and placement expansion.

One option is the introduction of a placement quality premium for higher education institutions and local authorities that provide high quality, well supervised placements. This would incentivise excellence in practice learning and help ensure consistency across the country. In addition, multi-agency placement hubs could reduce the burden on individual authorities by coordinating placement activity across regions and sectors, increasing placement availability and improving the match between student learning needs and service provision.

There is also value in creating a standardised national training programme for practice educators funded through the ESG. The Health Check identifies that continuing professional development remains one of the lowest scoring employer standards, indicating gaps in access to training. Enhanced practice educator development would strengthen supervision quality and improve student outcomes.

Importantly, introducing ring fenced funding for students who face placement barriers, such as those in rural areas or specialist teams, would support equitable access to learning. Comparable professions, including nursing, already receive targeted support through the NHS Learning Support Fund to ensure placement viability across diverse settings.

Alternative ways of allocating the ESG

How could the ESG budget be allocated more effectively? (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The Local Government Association considers that the Education Support Grant could be allocated more effectively through a needs-based approach that reflects the diverse pressures experienced by local authorities and higher education institutions. Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check highlights significant variation in workforce pressure, vacancy levels, placement capacity and local context. A revised allocation model that incorporates these indicators would ensure that ESG funding is directed to areas with the greatest need and where it can have the most impact.

A more effective system could include a baseline allocation for all providers, supported by additional top up funding for high pressure areas, including regions with elevated vacancy rates, rural locations where placement related travel burdens are higher and settings that host high complexity placements. This would support a more equitable distribution of resources and help address capacity challenges identified across the sector.

Introducing per student placement fees would help incentivise organisations to host placements and recognise the resource required to provide high quality supervision. This approach mirrors good practice in other practice-based professions where financial mechanisms, such as the NHS Learning Support Fund, support placement infrastructure and ensure that students can access high quality practice learning experiences across varied settings.

Transparency requirements could also form part of an improved allocation model. Requiring organisations to report how ESG funding is used would support accountability, enable sharing of effective practice and ensure that funding is consistently directed toward activities that deliver high quality practice-based learning.

Changing the balance of funding between the SWB and the ESG

See the relevant section in the consultation document for more information.

Which of the following courses of action would you be most supportive of? (Optional)

Increasing the overall budget for the ESG by reducing the budget for the SWB
Keeping the proportions of overall funding allocated to the ESG and SWB about the same
Decreasing the overall budget for the ESG and increasing the budget for the SWB
Don’t know
Other, please specify

Please explain your answer. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The Local Government Association supports keeping the proportions of overall funding allocated to the Social Work Bursary and the Education Support Grant about the same. Both funding streams are essential and serve different but equally important purposes in sustaining the social work workforce. The bursary supports students to enter training by reducing financial barriers linked to placement costs, travel and professional requirements, while the ESG enables organisations to provide high quality practice-based learning through support for placements, administration, skills development and service user involvement.

Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check highlights persistent workforce pressures, including high workload demands, recruitment challenges and capacity constraints across local authorities. Reducing either the bursary or the ESG would risk creating additional bottlenecks in the training pipeline, either by limiting access to study or by reducing placement availability and quality. Maintaining the current balance ensures that both entry and training infrastructure remain supported.

Comparable public service professions such as nursing and allied health benefit from funding arrangements that support both the accessibility of training and the delivery of practice learning. For example, the NHS Learning Support Fund provides placement travel reimbursement and financial support which strengthens training capacity without reducing student support. This demonstrates the value of parallel investment in both student support and practice environments.

Any increase to either budget would therefore require additional investment rather than redistribution. Maintaining the current proportional balance between ESG and SWB funding is the most effective way to protect workforce entry routes and the quality of practice-based learning.

Equalities

We are interested in understanding the potential effects of ESG reforms on groups who share protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are:

age
disability
gender reassignment
marriage and civil partnership
pregnancy and maternity
race
religion or belief
sex
sexual orientation

We are also interested in understanding how reforms could affect people who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Are there any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or socioeconomic backgrounds, who you believe would be positively affected by any of the potential reforms to the ESG? (Optional)

Yes
No
Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the groups you think would be positively affected, and how. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The Local Government Association considers that several groups would be positively affected by potential reforms to the Education Support Grant, particularly where changes enhance access to placements, improve placement quality and reduce financial barriers. Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check highlights variation in workforce capacity and placement availability across local authorities. Reforms that support a stronger placement infrastructure would therefore benefit groups that currently face disproportionate barriers.

Disabled students would benefit from ESG reforms that enable better supported placements or alternative arrangements. Placement travel, specialist equipment and reasonable adjustments can create additional costs and logistical challenges. Improved ESG support would strengthen equity of access and improve outcomes for disabled learners.

Students from low-income backgrounds would benefit from higher quality, better supported placements and improved administrative infrastructure. These reforms would reduce the risk of financial hardship linked to travel, inconsistent placement availability or insufficient supervision.

Mature students and those with caring responsibilities would benefit from reforms that expand practice educator capacity and increase placement flexibility. The Health Check identifies CPD as one of the lowest scoring employer standards, indicating a need for more investment in practice educator development to ensure consistent and high-quality supervision.

Students in rural areas may also be positively affected, particularly if ESG reforms include support for travel costs or remote and multi-agency placement models. Similar approaches exist within the NHS Learning Support Fund, which supports equitable access across varied geographical areas.

Overall, ESG reforms that strengthen placement systems and reduce financial barriers would improve inclusion across multiple protected and socioeconomic groups.

Are there any groups of people, such as (but not limited to) those who share certain protected characteristics or socioeconomic backgrounds, who you believe would be negatively affected by any of the potential reforms to the ESG? (Optional)

Yes
No
Don’t know

If you answered ‘yes’, please state the groups you think would be negatively affected, and how. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

The Local Government Association considers that certain groups may be negatively affected by changes to the Education Support Grant depending on how reforms are implemented. Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check highlights variation in workforce capacity and placement availability across local authorities, with some regions already experiencing greater strain. Reductions in ESG support or uneven redistribution may disproportionately affect groups who rely most on consistent and well supported placement provision.

Students who must undertake placements in high cost or rural areas could be negatively affected if ESG reforms do not provide adequate support for placement related travel. These learners face higher financial and logistical barriers, and without targeted assistance may experience reduced access to appropriate placements. Comparable schemes, such as the NHS Learning Support Fund, provide enhanced travel and accommodation support to ensure placements remain viable across diverse geographical contexts. If similar support is not strengthened within the ESG, inequalities could widen.

Smaller voluntary sector organisations may also be disadvantaged if ESG redistribution favours larger statutory agencies. These organisations play an important role in offering unique and high-quality learning experiences but often have limited capacity to absorb unfunded placement costs. Reduced access to ESG funded support could limit their ability to host students.

We consider disabled students might be negatively affected if ESG funding does not grow proportionally to meet accessibility needs. Without sufficient support for adjustments, equipment or travel requirements, these learners may face increased barriers to completing practice placements.

Other comments

If you would like to share any other views or comments on the proposals in this consultation, please do so below. (Optional, maximum 250 words)

Reforms to the Social Work Bursary and the Education Support Grant should be considered together. The bursary supports entry into training while the Education Support Grant enables high quality practice-based learning. Addressing one without the other risks creating new bottlenecks in the pipeline. Evidence from the Employer Standards Health Check shows sustained workforce pressure across local authorities, including high vacancy levels, workload intensity and challenges in supervision capacity. This indicates an urgent need to strengthen recruitment and retention through stable and predictable funding that providers can plan against.

The LGA also encourages the recognition of importance of creating clearer routes into social work for care leavers and care experienced people. These individuals bring insight and lived experience that can significantly strengthen practice. Funding reforms that reduce financial barriers, avoid reliance on household income and support high quality placements would help ensure that care leavers are fully represented within the future workforce.

Parity with comparable public service professions is also important. Teacher training bursaries reach up to £31,000 in shortage subjects and nursing students receive a universal £5,000 grant with additional allowances and placement travel reimbursement through the NHS Learning Support Fund. Social work carries comparable public responsibility and relies on mandatory placements but receives lower and capped support. Aligning social work funding with these models would improve fairness and help ensure that social work remains a competitive career choice.

Practice educator funding is essential to sustaining placements and should not fall solely on already stretched local authorities. The system should support new entrants, mature postgraduate students, returning professionals, disabled students and those with caring responsibilities. Targeted measures such as return to practice support and enhanced placement infrastructure would accelerate readiness for practice and reduce attrition. A coherent package that protects bursary access and strengthens the Education Support Grant will better secure workforce supply and improve outcomes for people who rely on social care.