HCL predicts increased social work demand

Recommendations made by the government’s Social Work Task Force for reforming social care in the UK will create increased demand for locum and permanent placement social workers as local government seeks to implement the reforms, according to healthcare recruiter HCL.

Recommendations include:

    * a reformed system of initial training, along with greater leadership and a strong national voice for the social work profession, through a college of social work
    * a single, nationally recognised career structure and a system for predicting levels of demand for social workers, coupled with clear and binding employer standards on how frontline social work should be resourced, managed and supported
    * a practice system for social workers’ licence to acquire and keep up their professional status. In addition to this, a raised profile of role and purpose of social work, the demands of the job and the contribution social workers make, will be crucial in raising and securing the status of the profession for the future
    * the creation of a single national reform programme for social work to drive the delivery of the key recommendations over the next five years

Kate Bleasdale, executive vice chairman of HCL, says: “We have been warning for years that the vacancies crisis in the social care workforce – currently at 14% across the UK  – requires immediate attention. We’re pleased to see that the government is now taking action. However, these reforms won’t be successfully implemented simply by seeking to attract more school leavers into the social work degree.

“We anticipate that our businesses will be in ever increasing demand as local government authorities seek to replicate these reforms and improve outcomes for services users.”