“Stuck in the middle”: social work educator attitudes to admissions decision-making in relation to applicants with criminal records to social work courses in England

There is growing evidence of a tension in social work between our professional ethics and the extent to which these ethics stand up to historical scrutiny. One such area is access to social work education. While a gap in research globally, growing attention highlights a potential disconnect between professional values and system influences on social work education admissions decision-making. This is especially the case in countries like England, where entry to social work studies is conditional on deeply scrutinising selection processes influenced by pressures to prioritise market interests and moralising gatekeeping over inclusion and representativity of candidates. This scrutiny includes an enhanced level of criminal record checks. This paper presents findings from a mixed methods study of social work educator attitudes in assessing suitability of applicants with criminal records to study social work in England. Thematic analysis contextualises a growing concern about the extent to which social workers are representative of the communities we service together with increasing suggestion that policy drift has enabled unchecked potentially risk averse and moralising gatekeeping practices at the key inclusive workforce stage. This study therefore contributes to the debates about social work admissions in England while, at the same time, it seeks to trigger reflection and promote a broader international discussion and a research agenda around the processes and criteria of access gatekeeping to social work education.