Agency Social Work Recruitment in London

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• London Pledge

The Cross-Regional Pledge confirms how the ‘Child and family social workers: agency rules statutory guidance’, will be applied by Local Authorities on the use of agency child and family social workers and confirms the relationship between regions who commit to working collaboratively for the benefit of the workforce and the children and families they serve.

Background

• New Rules: On 12th September the DfE published the statutory guidance for local authorities on the use of agency child and family social workers along with the government response to the consultation that informed this guidance, and updated data and price caps operational guidance. There is expected to be a winter update on the data and price cap guidance.
• New Resources and Tools: On 31^st October Research in Practice launched a range of new resources and tools to support employers to meet the employer standards and the implementation of the statutory guidance on the use of agency child and family social workers. London LAs and LIIA directly contributed to the content of these resources with multiple case studies included within the resources.
• Cross Regional Working: London together with the South East, East of England and East Midlands regions have developed a single Cross Regional Pledge to reflect the statutory guidance. Rather than repeat the guidance it articulates the application expectations for Local Authorities to allow for consistent interpretation. The draft was sent to all LA stakeholders across each region, MSPs and DfE which has allowed for updates and iterations. Other regions are expected to consider adopting this agreement template, with the understanding that some items such as the cool-off period may differ beyond the core development group. London, South East, East Midlands and East of England are continuing to work collaboratively with the aim of developing collaborative governance and in order to develop single price caps by the new deadline of October 2025. LIIA/London Councils collect data for the South East and have agreed transparency with other regions to enable this moving forward.

Project Milestones

To increase our understanding of this field we conducted researching including;

1. Social Worker Bank Feasibility – this report explores the current state of play, the agency supplier market and behaviours, public purchasing frameworks and national developments. This work was funded by the DfE through the Recovery Fund.
2. Agency Worker Focus Group & Survey – this research explored the push and pull factors driving permanent Social Worker to move into and stay in the agency market, understanding the impact of the pandemic and systemic issues affecting retention.
3. Big Listen – together LIIA and SESLIP (South East Region) worked with the 52 local authorities and children’s trusts across the London and the South East to help us develop our respective regional workforce strategies. The survey alongside other activities (focus groups and best practice research) is designed to gather information to help ensure the strategy is informed by the best evidence. See Big Listen to learn more.