Recognising the vital role social workers play in supporting some
of the most vulnerable children and families, local authorities
will today be allocated a share of £11.7 million to hire up to
461 extra social work apprentices, as part of government plans to
build a social worker workforce fit for the future. The extra
funding will bolster the workforce and better support the most
vulnerable families and children across the country.
Over 1,000 new trainee social workers have also been recruited,
and will be supported in their initial education this academic
year through the fast track to social work and step-up programmes.
Supporting children’s social workers is an integral part of the
ambitious, wide-ranging children’s social care
implementation strategy. Backed by £200 million over the next
two years, the strategy will transform the current care system to
focus on more early support for families, reducing the need for
crisis response at a later stage.
Building on the commitment to reduce the overreliance on agency
social workers, the government has today also published its
response to the consultation on agency child and family social
worker workforce. The response sets out proposed national rules
to improve the stability and quality of the social worker
workforce, with the aim of increasing transparency around the use
and cost of agency social workers.
Care leavers will also be celebrated this week as part of care
leavers week, which begins today, with a series of events hosted
by the government, including an event at 10 Downing Street for
ministers to meet with and celebrate care leavers. Minister
Johnston will also visit West Ham Football Club to see their
Future Programme in action. The programme helps care experienced
young people develop skills, access new experiences and connects
them to their communities.
, Minister for Children and
Families, said:
A strong social care workforce is key to achieving our ambition
to reform the children’s care sector.
Children’s social workers play a vital role in helping the
country’s most vulnerable families, which is why we’re boosting
training opportunities and strengthening rules on using agency
staff.
This care leavers week we want to shine a light on the
inspirational care workers who have overcome challenges.
Recognising the need for high-quality training, the government
has appointed the first wave of early adopter local authorities
for the early career
frameworktraining programme which will support children’s
social workers as they join and develop in the profession.
The local authorities, including Birmingham and Tower Hamlets,
are now working with the department to co-design the programme,
alongside an expert writing group that is drafting the framework
itself.
The government is also supporting local authorities to provide
positive working environments, to attract and retain children’s
social workers to these important roles. A national virtual hub
is to be created containing resources to support local
authorities to improve working conditions, workload, health and
wellbeing and organisational culture and the national workload
action group is looking into unnecessary drivers of bureaucracy
to promote more time with children and families.
