Social workers can not afford to be employed by the council say education chiefs

CHILDREN'S services chiefs have conceded social workers can not afford to work for the council.

The admission came at a meeting of the Royal Borough's children's service scrutiny panel on Tuesday as part of a discussion on recruiting more social workers at the council - a problem which has been ongoing for more than 18 months.

The council has been reliant on expensive agency workers instead of staff employed by the council, with critics arguing this does not provide a consistent service to residents.

Ann Domeney, the Royal Borough's head of early help and safeguarding, said: "Agency workers say they can't afford to pay the mortgage and become permanent staff members."

A recruitment campaign is aiming to attract more authority-employed social workers and will include the launch of a micro-website featuring first-hand accounts of the job by young Royal Borough employees.

Alison Alexander, the director of children's services, said the aim now was to take on graduates who would become fully trained while working for the borough and hopefully stay with the authority.

Source:

1. Royal Borough Observer

Further Reading:

• Raise for council social workers in bid to halt exodus
• Conservatives' 'money-saving' social worker policy cost more money than it saved refuted
• Royal Borough launches investigation into its use of temporary social workers