Chronic Shortage Of Social Workers

Residents in Fife who find themselves in need are missing out on thousands of hours of care a week through a serious lack of social workers in the region. A chronic shortage of qualified social workers across Scotland means there are 66 vacant posts in Fife which the Council are desperately trying to fill.

Steven Moore, Fife Council’s Head of Social Services, said: “It’s a big number of vacancies. We have just over 400 qualified social workers so that’s one in seven posts which aren’t filled.

“It’s a real challenge for us. Workers make the difference and we need to have those workers in place. What a difference that would make.”

Speaking to the East Fife Mail, he added: “It’s the equivalent of 2310 hours of social work missing from the streets of Fife.”

Mr Moore said the scope of social work had grown and the lack of qualified staff was making it hard for the Council to maintain the level of service, let alone expand it.

According to a report by the Social Work Inspection Agency, staff turnover in parts of Fife Council’s team is nearly double the national average.

Inspectors reported: “The highest number of vacancies was for social workers in children and families teams, with a vacancy rate of 21 per cent, compared to a national average of about 11 per cent.”