Latest Department for Education workforce statistics on children's social workers show that between September 2015 and September 2016, the number of practitioners employed by local authorities and agencies rose, turnover of staff employed by councils fell, and vacancy rates remained largely static (see graphics).
Rachael Wardell, director of children's services in West Berkshire and chair of the workforce development committee at the Association of Directors of Children's Services, assesses the factors behind these key trends and what they say about the health of the sector.
1. Social worker recruitment rises
"Each local authority is grappling with its own challenges around recruiting and retaining social workers, and despite our best efforts, we still need to recruit more into the profession to meet the increased level of demand for our services. The 4.7 per cent increase in the number of social workers is positive and is, in part, down to local authorities actively recruiting more social workers. But there has also been a significant investment locally, regionally and nationally in trying to recruit more people through routes such as Frontline and teaching partnerships."
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