CYP Now - Implementation of social work agency price caps delayed

Regional price caps on the amount paid by local authorities for agency social workers will not come into force until spring 2025, according to latest Department for Education guidance.

Agency social workers must be catergorised into five groups, DfE guidance says. Picture Adobe Stock

This signals a delay in implementing the caps - which were due to come into force this year - to reduce high levels of council spending on hiring agency workers. The plans are included in the government’s response to the Care Review.

Draft guidance, published by DfE on the use of regional caps and on data sharing around the use of agency workers states: “Each local authority should submit their price caps by Thursday 27 March 2025. It is expected that price caps should then be adhered to for all new assignments from 1 April 2025.”

It places a duty on local authorities to categorise the use of agency social workers into five groups:

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