Such commitment is priceless, but pay freezes and deep cuts across the public sector have stretched the finances of many practitioners to the limit (see Feature). The result of this is the significant shortages of most types of frontline practitioners now seen.
For some, such as social workers, high caseloads and bureaucracy are a turn-off; for others, like those in childcare and residential care, the pay is simply not commensurate with the demands of the job. Children's practitioners are not alone in feeling the pinch in their pockets as a result of austerity - but with birth rates rising, growing levels of children in care and with special needs, and greater demand for childcare, there has never been more urgency for policymakers to invest in the workforce.
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