Time to invest in the children's workforce
Derren Hayes
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Ask children's services leaders - whether a director of children's services, head teacher or nursery manager - what motivates their staff, and most will say it's a passion to improve outcomes for children, not the wage that comes with it.
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.
Over the coming year, the government must make good on its "end of austerity" pledge. A settlement in the autumn's comprehensive spending review that reflects the growth in demand for children's services is the minimum needed. More immediate, the government must undertake a programme of investment across the economy to mitigate against the expected financial downturn as a result of the UK exiting the European Union on 29 March. More money invested in salaries and services is only part of the solution however. Councils and other employers of children's services practitioners must find new incentives to retain existing staff and attract new talent.
It is often the little things that make a difference. For example, Liverpool City Council recently cut a deal for its social workers to use a supermarket car park for free and avoid having to pay city-centre parking charges. If this can be done for one essential service, why not for childcare staff, health visitors or children's home workers? Other councils, such as Knowsley, have invested in tablets and mobile phones so that social care staff no longer have to use their own (see Local Spotlight).
Providing great training, supervision and skills development are important, as is ensuring workloads are manageable. Councils must be properly funded to work with the voluntary and independent sectors to ensure staff can access high-quality training. A better pay and benefits package will help reduce the hardship felt by many frontline practitioners and avoid professional fatigue, which can turn the tide on the sector's workforce shortage.
