The number of agency social workers employed in children's services across England is at an all-time high. With 7,200 full-time equivalent agency workers in post as of September 2023, locums now make up 17.8% of the workforce – record figures that many in the sector argue are problematic.
Firstly, agency workers cost more to employ, adding to the budgetary pressures cash-strapped councils already face.
Secondly, there are issues around continuity of care as agency workers are often on short-term contracts. For vulnerable children who find it difficult to build trusting relationships, changing social workers can be distressing, especially at short notice.
In an effort to shift the balance, the government introduced new statutory guidance on the employment of agency children and family social workers at the end of October 2024.
Some of the rules came into force with immediate effect. For instance, new contracts must include a four-week notice period and should not be issued to agency social workers with less than three years post-qualifying experience.
There must also be a three-month cooling-off period between a social worker leaving a permanent post and taking up a locum role in the same region.
Meanwhile, councils have until summer to meet with their regional counterparts and agree on maximum hourly rates for agency staff. These regional pay caps will be implemented in October.
Steve Reddy, corporate director of children's services at the London borough of Tower Hamlets, says his team has embraced the changes.
But he stresses Tower Hamlets, which was recently rated “outstanding” by Ofsted, has comparatively low staff turnover and is “in a very positive position in terms of staff recruitment and retention”.
He warns that local authorities struggling to secure or retain permanent workers may find the new rules exacerbate staffing shortages in critical areas.
“London, being a large and diverse region, faces unique challenges,” he says. “Refusing to take on agency workers who have been permanently employed by a London borough within the last three months could significantly limit the pool of available talent.”
Beneficial support
Reddy says agency social workers provide beneficial support to local authorities. “They offer flexibility and can be hired on short notice, which is crucial given that permanent recruitment processes often take several months,” he explains.
At Tower Hamlets, most training programmes are open to agency workers and regular meetings are held with locums to discuss development and progression. There is also a strong emphasis on encouraging agency workers to transition to permanent roles.
As a result, the council has a successful track record in converting agency staff to permanent. “I myself am an example of that – I joined as interim in January 2024 and became permanent in April,” says Reddy.
Tracy Liu, an advice and representation officer at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), echoed the importance of local authorities investing time and energy into agency social workers.
“If you want people to join your organisation and work for you, you need to show them the benefits,” she says.
She says social workers are attracted to agency work because of pay, career opportunities and flexibility.
“It would be naïve not to point out the perceived higher pay for with agency work,” she says. “But for some people, flexibility is the key. I know a social worker who has a family member with complex health needs. Sometimes they need to stop work to support them. It suits them not having a permanent role where they must give three months' notice. Others like to know that they can move to a different organisation relatively quickly if they want to.”
However, many agency workers don't appreciate that working as a locum can mean a trade-off in entitlements.
“Often, it's sold to them as getting paid more for doing the same job – but they're not getting the same benefits,” says Liu. “Once you add everything up in terms of pension and sick pay, there is a question of how much more pay are you really getting?”
In her role at BASW, Liu supports agency workers dealing with workplace issues such as the sudden ending of contracts, bullying, harassment and untenable working conditions.
“Lots of people will have a healthy, happy career as an agency worker without problems,” she says. “But sometimes things go wrong, and when that happens, as an agency worker your rights aren't the same.
“If there are issues in the workplace, instead of dealing with them in the same way you would with a permanent member of staff, some local authorities choose, for want of a better phrase, to cut their losses and move on.”
When it comes to the new guidance, Liu believes the four-week notice period “would give workers more leeway to find a new role and time to finish things off and say a proper goodbye to children and families”.
The three-month cooling-off period rule could encourage some staff to stay in post and work problems out instead of leaving, particularly if they live in a larger, more rural area where it may be hard to find a new role close by.
“Ultimately, are we addressing the issues around why people go agency in the first place?” asks Liu. “For some people, it will always be about the finances in the immediate term, but for many others, it's to do with high caseloads and feeling valued.”
Cost to local authorities
Jonathan Wadsworth, managing director of social care recruitment agency Charles Hunter Associates, believes the new guidance could end up costing local authorities more.
“There might be a change in workload, and the local authority might need to remove someone from a role quite quickly,” he says. “That notice period could be costly for the local authority. You're putting layers in front of them that are more harmful than good.”
He believes the government should take a broader look at the issues behind the recruitment and retention crisis in social work.
“Local authorities need to get their houses in order first to attract and retain social workers on a permanent basis,” he says. “Focus on the cause, not putting a plaster on the problem.”
Wadsworth is also critical of suggestions – floated by the Department for Education in November – that the new guidance could be put into law later this year. This would mean councils were legally required to meet the new rules.
“It would be quite reckless to impose any form of legislation when there's no evidence,” he says.
He argues the government is incorrectly conflating the use of agency social workers in children's services with concerns around profiteering in children's care homes.
“We had the report on Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive, which discussed profiteering in children's care homes and in that there was further mention of agency workers and cost,” he says.
“The fact is 99% of local authorities procure agency staff through managed services contracts, and the average margin is 5 to 6% for the agency – that is inexpensive labour, there are no savings to be had here. Private care companies taking 25% margins should quite rightly be the focus.”
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EXPERT VIEW: 'We need to balance flexibility and consistency for children'
By Nicola Curley, chair, National Workforce Policy Committee, Association of Directors of Children's Services
Social workers are at the heart of systems that keep children safe from harm and support hundreds of thousands of children, young people and families across the country. Their work is complex because families and their needs are complex and as employers, we are fully committed to promoting one of the most important professions in the country by encouraging better public understanding of the role.
The Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) has consistently advocated for national action to effectively manage the agency social work market, ensuring it benefits local authorities and, most importantly, children. The costs associated with the use of agency social workers and project teams have risen sharply in recent years, exacerbating significant financial challenges for councils.
As the level of need in our communities increases, so too does our need for more people with the right qualities and skills to enter the profession, and to want to stay. Many local authorities face challenges with recruitment and retention and the flexibility provided by the agency workforce can be useful, especially in managing peaks and troughs in demand for our services and the potential impact of a negative inspection outcome on the workforce.
However, it is essential that the market is managed to support a quality workforce that delivers a strong service and good value. Amid financial challenges and a national shortage of social workers, many local authorities have often been compelled to spend beyond their means on agency workers and this is no longer sustainable.
We know children and families benefit enormously from consistent workers who cultivate strong, meaningful relationships with them. The transient nature of agency work and high turnover rates can challenge this bond and mean that children's plans often do not progress as smoothly as they should, impacting on overall outcomes for children and young people.
The ADCS welcomed the new government guidance on the use of agency social workers in children's services as it outlines clear expectations regarding pay, references, post-qualifying experience, and notice periods among other criteria. These standards will help us better support the children and families with whom we work while retaining some flexibility in the agency workforce.
The ADCS believes the Department for Education could have taken more ambitious steps regarding project teams as we are clear social work is not a short-term project; at the heart of good social work with children and families is building long-lasting relationships to empower those we work with to make positive, sustained changes in their lives. However, we recognise this is the beginning of significant regulation in this area and would hope to see further intervention if this proves necessary.
The ADCS will continue to advocate for a comprehensive national children's workforce strategy that encompasses all essential roles required to meet the diverse needs of children and young people. Central to this strategy is the urgent need for a dedicated recruitment and retention campaign, specifically for children's social workers, funded by the DfE.
This campaign should effectively highlight the significant impact of quality social work on individuals and communities, motivating more individuals to consider a rewarding career in the profession. By promoting both the workforce strategy and the recruitment initiative, we can ensure that children and families receive the support they deserve from a well-resourced and committed workforce.
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PRACTITIONER VIEW: 'I wanted to spend more time with my own children'
By Jill Bate, self-employed social worker
I have been a qualified social worker for 13 years and currently work as a self-employed contractor doing private law work for Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service).
This is my first stint in a locum role. Past roles have all been in frontline services for a local authority as a permanent member of staff.
It fits in so well with my family life as I can manage my own diary, take time off during school holidays and work from home.
I work less than part-time so can pick my kids up from school every day which is such a joy. The other big bonus for me is I can give myself extra time off in school holidays.
The main differences between agency work and a permanent post include the amount of training offered and possibly the level of supervision we receive - although it is there if needed.
I do feel that expectations for quality of work and a quick turnaround are higher for agency staff but this also comes with experience.
I would advise any social worker to gain their initial experience of social work in a permanent secure position. When I first qualified I needed the support and guidance of experienced practitioners to develop my skills and expertise.
We're all always learning but it's good to have your experience to fall back on when you're an independent practitioner. I moved around various teams within the local authority and gained lots of experience without which I don't think I could do my role now.
It's the best of both worlds for me. I'm self-employed so have quite a lot of autonomy over my decision making but if I need to discuss anything with a manager, I can ask my contract manager for situational supervision or speak to the managers in the area I'm working for. We have a group with other self-employed contractors for peer support.
We also have access to lots of resources from Cafcass via a dashboard which is great. They put excellent training sessions on the dashboard for us to watch in our own time.
Many social workers, whether agency or not can often work short-term with families, whether that's due to the way the teams are set up or staff turnover or reallocations. The important thing for me is being an attentive, non-judgmental and kind person for the time when I am working with people. I have done a lot of short-term work and believe that you can make a difference in every interaction you have with people.
I can't say why other people turn to agency work but for me it's all about optimising my time with my own children and having flexibility. I feel fully supported in my role and having access to other agency workers doing the same job is invaluable.
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PRACTITIONER VIEW: 'Agency social workers must hit the ground running'
By Nana Yabbey-Hagan, team manager for looked-after children
I have been a qualified social worker for children, young people and families for 10 years and am the co-host of the award-winning podcast The Social Worker and the Mentor.
I am currently a team manager for looked-after children's team in a London local authority. My previous agency role was as a team manager for a frontline child protection team.
I chose to go into agency work later in my career for career progression and financial reasons. Currently, agency work suits me as I have more flexibility around my work, finances and personal life.
In a permanent role, there is more stability, more opportunity for training and a higher level of protection. In an agency role, the pay is higher, however there is an expectation for you to hit the ground running in the service area you are in. But if you are asked to leave a local authority, your notice period can be shorter, for example two weeks in comparison to a permanent role which is eight weeks or more.
As an agency social worker, the support depends on the local authority you are in and the management you have. Overall, there is less hand holding because part of being an agency social worker is to come and work your cases.
For example, you could be an agency social worker starting in a child protection team and within a week you could have a number of child protection reports to complete. If you were to join a court team, you may be expected to file a court statement within a couple of days.
For agency social workers there could be a better induction period meanwhile basics such as getting a laptop, ID and training to access the system could be dealt with more quickly. Often agency workers arrive at a local authority to find nothing has been prepared.
Agency workers can build meaningful relationships with children and families to a degree but this does depend on the length of your contract. Often your contract is renewed every three months if there is a need for that role but if a permanent staff member is recruited or you decide to leave then that does mean a lack of continuity for children, young people and families.
Social workers are opting to become agency workers because the salary for permanent roles does not reflect the caseloads and complexity involved. There are social workers who are turning to food banks, struggling to pay rent, mortgages, student loans and childcare bills amid the cost-of-living crisis.
For things to improve for both permanent or agency social workers a number of things need to happen: caseloads need to reduce, more money needs to be pumped into early intervention, managers and senior managers need to show more empathy and understanding of the complexities on the ground and social workers need to be allowed to take appropriate time off work. If you are permanent or agency, and put in extra hours and effort then I think you should be paid extra to say thank you.
