Workforce pressures risk pushing council social workers to agencies, research warns

The poll around 12,700 of children’s social workers across London and the south east of England, carried out by the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA) and the South East Sector Led Improvement Programme (SESLIP), found that workplace pressures are pushing social workers to leave local authority employment.

The research which spans 52 local authorities, finds that four in 10 social workers describe their workloads as unmanageable.

Black and ethnic minority social workers were more likely to consider leaving their roles for agency work, citing cost of living, racism, and discrimination as key reasons.  

Jacquie Burke, director of children’s services at Hackney Council, and Beverley Hendricks, assistant director of safeguarding and social care at Haringey Council are joint leaders of the Association of London Directors of Children's Services Leadership in Colour Programme.