UK has social worker shortage, recruitment campaigns failing

Community Action, May 23, 2005

London -- Britain is experiencing a shortage of social workers and the government's social care recruitment campaign appears to have had little impact according to one report.

The latest analysis of the social care workforce by Skills for Care, formerly the Training Organization for Personal Social Services, found one in 10 posts remain vacant across the public, private and voluntary sector.

The State of the Social Care Workforce was published by Skills for Social Care, an organization of agencies. The overall vacancy rate for local authority social care staff has risen to 10.7% in 2003, according to the report. Vacancy rates in London are (17.2%) and above 12% in the south east and eastern regions.

While vacancy rates among children's social workers have fallen slightly in recent years--from 16% in 2000 to 11.8% in 2003--three-quarters of social services departments reported difficulties in recruiting.

Vacancies for other social work posts rose--from 8.9% in 2001 to 10.2% in 2003--with 44% of social services departments reporting recruitment difficulties.

Vacancy rates in social care are "about twice as high of those for the totality of all private and public sector business activity in England". The report also noted that social workers remain among the lowest paid professionals, earning less than probation officers, nurses and teachers.

One positive note, the number of students starting social work training (in two and three year programs) rose by 13% between 2003 and 2004--from 4,771 to 5,382.

United Kingdom social agencies have been advertising for staff in Canada and other countries. For example see: www.communityaction.ca/ jobs.htm where notices from the U.K. have been placed.