Engage: Talent time bomb heading for the social care sector

The demand for older and more experienced social workers is on the rise. That’s the finding of our Social Care Index (SCI) which analyses trends based on over 30,000 temporary social care appointments. And although it’s reassuring to know that the majority of positions are being filled by the most experienced practitioners, it does beg the question what does this mean for their younger less experienced counterparts?

The SCI which explores trends across England and Wales shows that the percentage of temporary social care worker appointments of candidates aged between 45 and 54 and has risen by 9.3% year on year, accounting for 32.8% of the total temporary social care workforce (TSCW). However the SCI also shows that hires for the 35 years and under age group have significantly decreased.

There has also been a 4% rise in the use of temporary social workers who are being used to fulfil vacant permanent positions, with the average role lasting 205 days. This rise in demand puts the social care sector in a difficult situation: with less temporary posts currently being offered to those with less than four years’ experience, just how are younger candidates who have recently entered into the profession supposed to get the experience they need or get support for their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE).

The social care sector is always under close scrutiny and it has recently been announced that any children’s services judged as inadequate by Ofsted will be taken over by high-performing councils. The demand for a more mature and experienced workforce is only likely to increase even further now this threat hangs over local authorities.

The results of the SCI also suggests that local authorities are firefighting and using their most senior candidates to fulfil the most critical roles. And with this demand for specialist skills to fill gaps comes an increase in pay rates, with the SCI showing that they are up by 6.7% compared to previous years.

Increasing the supply of qualified TSCW will help local authorities gain control of the rates they are having to pay this highly experienced workforce. Local authorities need to do more to support those just joining the sector to help ensure they get the experience in the job they so desperately need. If these young people entering the profession do not get the opportunity to develop in their careers the social care sector will be heading for a budgetary and skills shortage.

A report last year from The Department of Education showed that the demand for social workers would be unlikely to be met until at least 2022, however, as our SCI suggests, unless the younger workforce gets the experience it needs, it is unlikely that this demand will ever be met.

Succession planning needs to become a priority for the social care sector so that the requirements of the sector can be met now and in the future. Newly qualified social workers need the opportunity to develop their careers now so that they ready to help society’s most vulnerable when the current in demand workforce has retired from the profession.

Looking for new ways to achieve TSCW pay rates can be achieved by local authorities working more closely with other regional authorities. They should also take advantage of the services offered by the private sector such as temporary recruitment managed service providers like Comensura or the recruitment consultancies that supply TSCWs to help them come up with additional ways to provide opportunities for new comers to the profession. This skills gap clearly needs to be brought under control, and soon, to ensure the necessary support for our increasingly ageing population and most vulnerable members of society is there now and in the future.

About the Author

Jamie Horton is Managing Director with Comensura who manage the supply of temporary, permanent and consultant labour in large organisations across the public, private and not for profit sectors.