Commenting on new rules and guidance on the use of agency social workers, Rachael Wardell, ADCS Vice President, said:
“Recruiting and retaining a permanent stable social work workforce is an increasing challenge for local authorities as is our overreliance on agency workers and the high costs associated with agency use. Children and families tell us they benefit from having a consistent worker who builds a strong meaningful relationship with them, yet the short-term nature of agency social work and the level of turnover, including churn amongst agency workers makes this more difficult to achieve.
"ADCS has long raised the need for coordinated national action to manage the agency social work market so that it works for local authorities and, most importantly, for children and families. Therefore, we are pleased the Department for Education has published long-awaited statutory guidance which outlines, for the first time, a national set of rules that local authorities, agency providers and agency social workers must work within. This guidance helpfully sets out clear expectations on pay, references, post-qualifying experience, and notice periods, amongst other things, which will allow us to better support the children and families that we work with while maintaining a sufficiently flexible agency workforce.
"We welcome the Department’s commitment to review the effectiveness of measures in relation to project teams, if necessary. ADCS is clear social work is not a short-term project, at the heart of good social work with children and families is building long lasting relationships in order to empower those we work with to make positive, sustained changes in their lives. ADCS will continue to work with the Department for Education, and others, on implementing these reforms to ensure they impact positively on children and families and result in the sustainable workforce they both need and deserve.”
ENDS
