Vacancies down 17% (but still one in seven posts not permanently filled)

Annual workforce statistics for children and family social workers in England have revealed a significant drop in the vacancy rate, thought it still stands at 14 per cent.

The Department for Education (DfE) figures, which cover the period up until the end of September 2025, also reveal a fall in staff turnover, though sickness and absence have risen slightly to a new high.

A drop in the number of agency workers is also highlighted following the introduction of new statutory guidance to counter a reliance on the use of agency child and family social workers

There were 6,000 children’s social worker vacancies at 30 September last year, falling for the third consecutive year from a peak of 7,900 in 2022.

The latest figure represents a fall of 17 per cent, or 1,200 vacancies, from a year earlier and the largest annual drop since 2017 when the series started.

It’s also the third consecutive annual drop in the vacancy rate from a peak of 20 per cent in 2022.

While the average number of caseloads fell to a series low, the DfE said the figures do not account for the complexity of cases held, which is generally recognised as increasing.

The average annual caseload figure for 2025 was 15.2, down from 15.4 in 2024.

The sickness absence rate for social workers last year was 3.5 per cent, up slightly from 3.4 per cent in 2024 and on a par with the figure from 2022. 

For the first time the statistics include figures on full-time social worker base salary. The median base salary of full-time child and family social workers was £47,200. 

There were 36,200 full-time equivalent social workers in post at 30 September last year, up 5.4 per cent or 1,900 workers from a year earlier and up 27 per cent or 7,700 workers from 2017.

The number of child and family social workers leaving the workforce to agency social work (300 workers) or leaving the workforce entirely (2,700 workers) fell for the third consecutive year.

The DfE said this suggests social worker retention has continued to improve. 

There were 5,800 social worker starters in the year, up four per cent or 200 from 2024. The year saw 1,600 more starters than leavers, the highest since 2017.  

There were 4,300 social worker leavers in 2025, falling for the third consecutive year from the series peak of 5,400 in 2022, and representing the lowest number since 2017. The latest figure is a decrease of ten per cent from a year earlier. 

Social worker demographics

The figures also revealed details regarding the age, sex and ethnicity of social workers.

In 2025, social workers aged 30 to 39 continued to be the largest age group, accounting for three in ten workers (30 per cent). 

The 40 to 49 age group had the largest numeric and percentage rise since 2024 (up 900 workers or 9.8 per cent per cent and the largest numeric rise since 2017. The 60 and over age group had the largest percentage rise since 2017 (up 79 per cent).

Almost nine in ten, or 88 per cent, of social workers were female. The proportion of social workers who were female has increased every year since 2017.

Ethnicity was known for 82 per cent of social workers in 2025. Of those, more than one in four (28 per cent) were from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities) and this has increased each year from around one in five (21 per cent) in 2017, mainly due to workers from Black ethnic groups.