The Government has published guidance on the use of agencies in social work

The Government has released new guidance for local authorities regarding the use of agency workers in child and family social services.

These rules will come into effect on 31 October 2024. They are a result of feedback received from a consultation that ended in February.

Participants generally supported the draft statutory guidelines, and were most enthusiastic about the post-qualifying experiences (86% agreed or strongly agree) and references (85% also agreed or strongly agree).

After the consultation, some changes were made to the rules, including price caps (48%) and notice periods (58%) that have received strong support. There have been a few minor changes made to the statutory guidance.

Kate Shoesmith, deputy chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said in response to the Government’s consultation and guidance response: “The response recognizes the importance of agency workers, interims and lone workers as they provide services for children and families.

As our recent campaign Voice of the Worker highlights, there are many different reasons why people choose to work through an agency.

She highlighted the need for more social workers, increased demand for social services and the desire to work flexible hours as major drivers.

Shoesmith stated: “While we are encouraged that the Department for Education has injected a bit of pragmatism into some of the suggested policy, for instance, the inclusion of an agency rule that includes a provision for broken glass, we remain worried that these new rules do not learn from other public procurement frameworks.

This is a workforce which needs better support, and an understanding of why they work in the way that they do. We can reduce the risks of social workers leaving the sector by working together with the government, local authorities and recruiters.

Shoesmith says it is “vital” that each measure be evaluated fully so as to avoid “exacerbating the recruitment and retention crisis within the UK social care industry”. Its data shows 21,703 job listings for social workers.

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