Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Interim Director for Children’s Services

The Board considered a Briefing Note of the Interim Director for Children’s Services on social worker recruitment and retention – workforce, proposals, implementation and progress to date.

Recruitment and retention of social workers is a national problem and accepted in the government's response to the Independent Review of Social Care. The workforce profile over the past few years has led to Children’s Services supporting a “grow our own” approach, with a key focus on enabling social workers into the profession and developing into experienced social workers with high quality practice standards.

The local picture in Coventry in many ways mirrors the regional and national picture. Coventry has continued to face challenges to recruitment and retention of social workers, which has impacted the stability of the workforce and the number of agency staff required to cover vacancies. Coventry is based within the West Midlands, in an area where there are a number of local authorities all completing for the same pool of social workers, which makes it a competitive market for social workers.

Coventry Children’s Services vision for the Social Work workforce is to secure a stable, permanent, highly skilled and capable workforce; a workforce who are able to uphold the One Cov values of Coventry City Council, working in the ‘The Coventry Way’’ – the children’s services practice approach informed by signs of safety, relational and restorative practices. A stable and permanent workforce can more effectively work with children, young people and families in a way which supports to improve outcomes.

The Briefing Note outlined a range of positive recruitment and retention initiatives the service is progressing to help recruit and retain Social Workers further and reduce the number of Social Worker vacancies. These included but were not limited to:

-  The Review of Team Managers, Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), Independent Reviewing Officers (IRO’s) and Child Protection chairs pay in order to bring in line with regional rates of pay.

-  Retention Payments to experienced Social Workers until end of March 2024, replaced with a Progression pathway for experienced social workers the opportunity to progress to Advanced Social Workers through a progression panel process to be implemented from 1 April 2024.

-  Continuation in the expansion of the Social Work Academy supporting more Newly Qualified Social Workers to grow experience in the service and fill vacancies on a more permanent basis.

The Board questioned Officers and received responses on a number of matters relating to social worker recruitment and retention including:

-  Recruitment campaigns and potential schemes with secondary schools for children who want to be social workers.

-  The ‘Grow Your Own’ initiative.

-  Fast-track programs and the qualifications received.

-  Cooperation with neighbouring authorities to pool resources and compete in a competitive recruitment and retention market.

-  Social Work courses from Coventry University.

-  Staff wellbeing programs and mandatory involvement.

-  Work placements for those studying health and social care.

-  Staff mentoring schemes for a younger workforce.

-  Retention rates in comparison to the national average and feedback from exit interviews.

-  The retention fund and any conditions attached.

Councillor P Seaman (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) thanked officers for the briefing note and encouraged the Scrutiny Board to attend the Social Worker open days that have been a very successful recruitment tool for the service.

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Board:

1. Notes the current progress.

2. Shares Social Worker open events with diverse communities to ensure wider participation.