CYP Now - Recruitment agency practices compound workforce pressures

CYP Now investigation shows 10-fold rise in agency social work teams being used by local authorities in last five years, with children’s services leaders saying staff shortages are placing huge pressure on budgets.

Agency social workers are more likely to plug gaps in areas like safeguarding and assessment, research finds. Picture: Adobe Stock

The recruitment and retention of “quality” social workers is described as “the biggest worry” facing directors of children’s services (DCSs). With record numbers of social workers leaving the profession, local authority leaders are being forced to turn to social work agencies, many of which now offer entire social work teams for “double the price” of staff employed by councils.

Department for Education figures, published in February, show the number of children and family social workers who left their posts in 2021 was up by 16 per cent compared with 2020 – the highest level in five years.

Vacancies on 30 September last year also hit the highest level in five years.

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