cation covers the expected data items to be returned to the Department for Education (DfE) and the validation rules applied to the data submitted. It has been developed to support local authorities and their management information system software suppliers. It should be read in conjunction with: • the CBDS database • Children’s social work workforce census: guide 1.2 Definition of a child and family social worker For the purposes of this collection, a child and family social worker is defined as: A social worker who is registered with Social Work England (SWE), formerly the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), working in a local authority in a children’s services department or, if working in an authority where the services are joined up, a social worker that works primarily on children and families work. This includes all child and family social workers regardless of their position in the organisation, excluding the Director of Children’s Services. 1.3 Scope of children’s social work workforce (CSWW) – individual level data collection The children’s social work workforce data collection is a local authority collection that requires the return of individual worker information, together with a number of aggregate fields for the collection as a whole. The collection is for the period 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 inclusive. 1.4 Structure of the children’s social work workforce data collection The 2024 to 2025 CSWW data collection primarily collects worker level data. This collection comprises a header containing local authority details, an aggregate local authority level module and a repeatable module to return individual worker data. 7 1.5 Changes from 2024 to 2025 children’s social work workforce census 1.5.1 New data items The following data items have been