Social work has never been an easy sector to work in. But it’s one of those professions where the long-term impact someone makes can far outweigh the challenges. One of the highlights of Julia Winkless’s 14-year career was when she was stopped by a young lady in a car park. “She literally parked her car in front of me, jumped out, and thanked me. It was a girl I’d worked with on my first ever child protection case,” says Winkless, who is now a senior social worker and approved mental health professional in Suffolk. “She said she’s always telling people about me and how I helped her.”
Sometimes, it can be the smallest things that mean the most in social care. Leyre Zarobe, deputy team manager for the discharge-to-assess team at Essex county council, remembers one elderly man in his 90s who was in a wheelchair and wanted a ramp installed so he could get out to his garden. He had dementia and there were some safeguarding issues around financial abuse. But the team was able to advocate for him to get him what he wanted. “I remember visiting him on his birthday and he was sitting in his garden having fish and chips, with the biggest smile on his face. That meant the world to me.”
These are just two of the thousands of stories that social workers can tell about how they’ve improved the lives of those they work with. But it’s not a profession without its challenges. In 2024, an ageing population, cost of living crisis, and ongoing fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, have led to both higher caseloads and more complex cases. Social workers are having to do more with less as local authority budgets are squeezed, and many are quitting in record numbers as they struggle to cope. At the same time, open positions are becoming harder to fill. The latest government figures show there are 7,700 full-time vacancies in children and family social work, for example, the second-highest level since data was first collected by the Department for Education.
Facing such a perfect storm, many practitioners are turning to each other for inspiration. Initiatives such as Social Work Week, which is organised by Social Work England and takes place from 18-22 March, aim to help professionals connect and learn from each other, understand the sector’s challenges and successes, and explore innovative solutions. A range of free virtual sessions, covering topics as diverse as children’s social care reform, promoting diversity and cultural sensitivity, kinship care, and the value of data in social work, are planned for the week-long event.
One of the ways the sector is trying to innovate and respond to the challenges at hand is through the use of technology. In Hull, a podcast and animated film are helping children experiencing a change of social worker, and are forming part of the social work induction programme for professionals. Similar digital projects have won recognition in Gateshead, supporting children affected by domestic abuse and those who’ve had experience of the Youth Justice Service. And in south London, the InnOvaTe Internet of Things (IoT) Programme is using smart devices to support adults living in their own homes.
Winkless in Suffolk says her team is making good use of smart home technology too. “I will very rarely see a court protection application from my team that doesn’t involve some kind of assistive tech now. We have a whole catalogue of devices we can bring into the care plans, from door and window sensors to watch devices with GPS, and simple tablets where people can access the internet safely.”
Such innovations are helping the team work more effectively, she adds: “Our goal isn’t to reduce the number of hours of support someone needs necessarily, it’s to give them opportunities for a little bit more independence.”
Other local authorities are thinking outside the box to tackle recruitment and retention challenges. An investigation by Children and Young People Now found almost a third of councils are offering recruitment payments – known as golden hellos – to recruit staff. Others are turning to loyalty payments or relocation packages to reward retention and recruit in hard-to-reach areas.
Surrey county council has added a market supplement of £5,000 on to the salary of new recruits in family and safeguarding teams, as well as up to £6,000 (payable in three instalments) across the first 18 months. Catherine Watkins, assistant director of family safeguarding south at Surrey county council, says: “Recruitment is a huge issue. We recently introduced the market supplement for social workers and managers on our family safeguarding teams, because those are the teams currently that have the biggest challenges to try and draw people in.”
As well as exit interviews, the local authority conducts stay interviews to identify what helps people stay, and is expanding its apprenticeship programme. Career progression is also front of mind – particularly supporting current social workers into management through mentorship and training opportunities, or via secondments to other teams. In the future, Watkins plans to look at possible progression pathways for people who aren’t qualified social workers to help address recruitment issues. “Of course, some may prefer to stay as family support workers, for example, but we can still upskill them so they have a better chance of being successful in an apprenticeship with us in the future.”
That was the pathway James Karst chose when he became a qualified social worker in late 2023. He had been working as a personal trainer before becoming a social care assistant with the London borough of Bexley just under a decade ago. He was encouraged to consider doing a degree apprenticeship through the Open University by Bexley’s learning and development lead and now works in the preparing for adulthood team. “I wanted to feel I was making more of a positive impact on people’s lives,” he says about his move from the fitness industry. “No two days are the same [in social care], which is part of the reason I like it. It’s nice knowing you’ve made a difference.”
Social work is full of opportunities for career progression, Zarobe adds, but she is also mindful of the need to provide her team with ongoing wellbeing support to boost morale and retention. “For me, wellbeing is so important and we have supervision very regularly. We have to make sure the caseloads are safe, and try to stop fatigue and burnout.
“It’s very challenging but it’s a lovely profession to be in,” she adds. “If you’re passionate about supporting others, this is the place to be.”
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