One in seven social worker posts in England are unfilled, according to the Tories. And many councils report that the controversy surrounding the Baby P case has made it even harder to recruit social workers. So could overseas staff be the answer?
The government seems to think so. Its Migration Advisory Committee is due to report back next month after reviewing whether social workers should remain on the national occupation shortage list - a fast-track route to a UK working visa.
Under government rules employers can recruit professionals from countries outside the European Economic Community, if they belong to one of the listed occupations.
Social workers were included last November, despite the Migration Advisory Committee initially reporting there was no evidence of a shortage of social workers.
Shortage of qualified workers
Maggie Atkinson, president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS), believes it is vital authorities continue to have the option to recruit from abroad.
"The challenges in recruiting and retaining social workers in some authorities are well known as is the impact of high vacancy rates or the use of expensive agency staff on promoting the highest levels of service. Migrant social workers often have substantial experience and are willing to fill posts to which it can be difficult to recruit," she says. "With the current focus on safeguarding it would be foolish to deny local authorities this valuable resource."
The ADCS and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers have submitted statements in support of keeping social workers on the Home Office list.
A survey into council workforces, carried out by the Local Government Association, between July and September last year, found two out of three councils reported problems recruiting children's social workers and four out of 10 reported problems in retaining them.
Bromley recruits from US
This month Bromley Council has added 12 new children's social care workers from the United States to its team because of the ongoing recruitment difficulties. Councillor Ernest Noad, Bromley's portfolio holder for children and young people, says: "The shortage of qualified, experienced social workers within the UK has prompted us to extend our search for the best candidates. We are confident this boost to permanent staffing levels will lead to a more stable workforce."
When recruiting from abroad all applicants must meet the General Social Care Council's (GSCC) criteria on qualifications, assessed practice, health and good character before they can register to work in the UK.
To apply to the register, all international applicants have to hold a qualification equivalent to the social work degree. They also need to have at least 130 days' supervised and assessed practice as a social worker.
The GSCC has a specialist team, which assesses the equivalent qualifications and work experience of an international applicant.
Short-term fix
But Ruth Cartwright, professional officer for the British Association of Social Workers, is concerned that going abroad should not be seen as a quick fix to the problem.
While acknowledging that overseas workers can enrich the British workforce, she says: "As we are in a recession one would like to think there are enough social workers within the country to fill the jobs. There are a lot of good social workers out there.
"What often happens is social workers come over here to get experience and then want to go back, only filling gaps in the short-term.
"Local authorities must have a long-term strategy with effective training, which will attract and retain social workers in this country."
HOW FOREIGN LABOUR PLUGGED THE GAP
Essex County Council
Essex, the second largest authority in the UK, was one of the first to recruit social workers from abroad, with workers from as far afield as Romania, South Africa, Australia and Canada.
The council is recruiting more social workers in response to last year's critical inspection report, which judged the authority "inadequate" for safeguarding.
Mutual benefit
Nicky Pace, Essex's director of vulnerable children and young people, says: "The Baby P case has had a really negative impact on the profession. To fill a workforce as big as Essex's, we are having to look abroad. We have been very successful in this area in the past and have previously employed overseas social workers who have really benefited from the opportunity of coming over here."
Anita Kemp is one of the people to who Pace is referring. She left South Africa 12 years ago to become a frontline social worker in Essex. She has since worked her way up to become the workforce planning and development manager.
"I wanted to pay off my debts and I already had two years experience as a social worker in South Africa," she explains.
"I first came on a working holiday visa and was employed by an agency before going back home. Essex then applied for a work permit for me."
However, she says overseas recruitment isn't the panacea: "Recruiting social workers from abroad can't be the only solution for the country-wide shortage. Here in Essex we have a scheme which is currently funding 20 local people to go through training."
FACTS AND FIGURES: Number of overseas social workers
Social workers registered with the General Social Care Council (GSCC) - 79,506
Number of those registered with the GSCC that were qualified overseas - 6,885
Roughly nine per cent of all social workers on the GSCC register were qualified overseas.
Source: General Social Care Council
