Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has announced that the country’s health and social care (HSC) trusts will have to stop using agency social workers from next June.
Former health minister Robin Swann, who first announced plans last month, said: “Over-reliance on agency use has a negative impact on our workforce, placing additional pressures on them to support agency staff who are unfamiliar with systems and wards.
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Recruitment agency practices compound workforce pressures
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Ban or regulation: steps to tackle agency dominance of workforce
“This creates another pressure on the provision of safe and quality care. I want a health service that instils a sense of pride in those that work for it and I want to encourage more health care professionals back into our workforce.”
In a letter to trust leaders, permanent and agency social workers, and students, Northern Ireland’s chief social worker Aine Morrison said staff working through agencies at the trusts, which deliver statutory social services in the country, are being offered permanent contracts, a process that will take “a number of months”.
She added: “I understand that you may feel considerable anxiety about the decision to stop the use of agency social workers by June 2023 and I want to reassure you that we will take a measured and planned approach to making the necessary changes, which will also consider and mitigate against any risks arising.
“The Department of Health will be working closely with the HSC Trusts and trade unions representatives to deliver on this plan. I am also very conscious that stopping agency use will not solve all of our current workforce issues and, again, I would like to reassure you that there are a range of other workforce support measures under way in workstreams arising from the Review of the Social Work Workforce.”
Ray Jones, who is leading a review of children’s social care in the country, told CYP Now that he “fully supports” the ban.
Jones said that a lack of support for children’s social workers, including poor wages and high caseloads, has led to an increase in the number of professionals joining agencies, but added that these perks could be offset by benefits such as paid leave, sick pay and employer pension contributions offered to HSC staff.
Responding to concerns over an influx of social workers quitting the profession over the ban in favour of better-paid roles in sectors like retail, Jones said: “I don’t see that happening, social workers are passionate employees who want to do the best for children and families and in banning the use of agency staff they will have greater opportunity to do that.”
Jones, who is emeritus professor of social work at Kingston University and St George’s, University of London, said he had recommended that trusts cut administrative burdens for practitioners and recruit from a wider pool of people for social care roles.
“Each of the trusts is recruiting for a wider skills mix, recruiting extra admin staff and taking decisions to reduce bureaucracy, and sharing good practice between themselves,” he said.
Jones added that there is “evidence” to support a similar ban being introduced in England.
“We are seeing the same issues, around agencies offering more attractive packages and charging high prices to local authorities. A ban would mean offering agency workers attractive benefits within a local authority, improve relationships with families and within teams, which would provide better care for vulnerable families,” he said.
However, Tim Loughton, former children’s minister and MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said it would be “very difficult” to ban the use of agency social work in England.
“We have huge problems with recruitment and retention,” he said. “High proportions of people we are training up to be social workers don’t finish the training or leave the profession after one or two years.
“Local authorities don’t want to use agency social workers, they’re not going out of their way to do it, they have no choice. A ban would lead to more social workers burning out from ever-increasing caseloads.
“None of this is new, we’ve been saying these things for the last 12 years, what we need is a focus on early help and improved recruitment and retention rather than an outright ban.”
An investigation by CYP Now shows increasing numbers of councils commissioning managed teams of social workers and social work managers over the last five years.
