Recruitment, retention and career progression of social workers

The Local Government Association (LGA) commissioned BMG Research to undertake a telephone survey of Heads of Human Resources in the 152 councils in England (54 responding, a 36 per cent response rate). The survey further explored awareness and response to the recommendations in the National Joint Council for Local Government Services Working Party’s (NJC) final report, published in December 2011, by building upon the existing 85 responses obtained in response to an initial survey in February-March 2012. It also explored council’s responses to the Employer Standards.

Key findings, unless otherwise stated, are from both the 2012 and 2013 surveys; the base is 100 where respondents from both years are included. For results from the 2013 survey along the base is 54.

Awareness and Response to the recommendations in the NJC final report:

• The majority of councils have completed a job evaluation. Eighty eight per cent (88 councils) had completed a job evaluation or pay and grading review that included social workers since 2004.
• A quarter of councils have used the NJC report role profiles to complete the job evaluation. Twenty five per cent (23 councils) had used the role profiles from the NJC report to do so.
• Most councils have a framework for social worker’s career progression. The majority (85 per cent, or 46 councils) of councils that took part in the 2013 survey have a framework in place for social workers’ career progression.
• The majority of councils do not have an action plan to respond to the NJC report. Over one-third (35 per cent, or 30 councils) of councils had developed an agreed action plan to implement the recommendations from the NJC’s report whilst 55 per cent (47 councils) had not.
• Challenges for implementing the changes were varied. The main challenges to implementing changes as a result of the report included responding to changing costs in the current economic environment (25 per cent), dealing with changes to pay structures and terms and conditions (20 per cent), and communicating the changes to staff and responding to any queries (18 per cent).

Key findings are from the 2013 survey only; the base in 54 respondents (or 36 per cent of councils with social care responsibilities):

• There is a high level of awareness and use of the Employer Standards. Two-thirds of councils (69 per cent) currently use the Employer Standards, 17 per cent were not using the standards and 15 per cent did not know. The majority (97 per cent) of councils that were using the Employer Standards were using them within the children’s social care service and 78 per cent were also using them in their adult social care service  There are a range of benefits from implementing the Employer Standards. Councils that are currently using the Employer Standards most frequently believed they would benefit from general service improvement and raise standards (38 per cent), whilst one-fifth (22 per cent) felt they would lead to increased consistency of standards in their services.
• Councils are facing a high level of issues with recruitment of social workers. Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of councils had experienced issues with recruiting social workers in 2012-13 and nearly one-half (48 per cent) had experienced challenges in staff retention.
• Councils provide a high level of professional development support. All councils reported that they offered at least one type of professional development support and 78 per cent offered training for unqualified social workers.