Notts County Council reveals £1.5m bill for social work temps

NOTTS County Council has spent more than £1.5 million on social workers from an agency because it has too many cases and not enough staff.

It is spending almost £90,000 per social worker, twice the maximum salary it normally pays.

The council said it had been forced to take action to fill gaps after experienced social workers had left and deal with an increasing number of cases.

Steve Edwards, service manager in the council’s social services department, said: “Child protection is our biggest priority. It is positive we are taking this action but I accept it is expensive.”

Two teams, totalling 16 social workers plus two managers, have been recruited.

Nottingham City Council also has high levels of job vacancies for social workers and has called on schools and the NHS, among others, not to refer new cases unless absolutely necessary.

The county council said it was only using the agency, Outcomes UK, as a temporary measure for one year, to clear a backlog of cases and while other social workers are trained up.

Martin Sleath, a Unison convener in children’s social care at the county council, said all councils were stretched and he accepted the need for agency workers to plug the gaps.

However, Mr Sleath criticised the council for doing away with a “floating” team of social workers, against Unison’s advice, some years ago.

He said the county council had also become less competitive in terms of pay and conditions. In addition to a national pay freeze, a car allowance had been removed, costing social workers about £900 a year, and more leave for long-serving staff had also been cut.

“It has been a smack in the teeth,” said Mr Sleath. “Social workers do 50 to 60 hours a week and yet they are facing a pay cut.”

The county council insists the situation is improving. Mr Edwards said: “The Outcomes teams are experienced social workers. The backlog is pretty much clear now.”

He said Notts was better off than some councils because it could still recruit newly qualified staff.