Number of children social workers and average caseloads
Case reference FOI2022/00247
Published 31 March 2022
Request
1. In total, how many frontline child protection social workers work for the council (whether employed or agency) as of 1 March 2022?
a. How many and what percentage are agency staff?
b. How many and what percentage are less than two years qualified?
c. How many and what percentage are both agency staff and less than two years qualified?
2. What is the full complement of frontline child protection social workers the Department for Children's Services should have, and what is your current recruitment shortfall into those roles (as of 1 March 2022)?
3. What is the current average caseload for frontline child protection social workers working for the council (as of 1st March 2022).
4. Please specify how many active cases each frontline child protection social worker who has been qualified for less than two years (as of 1 March 2022) is handling.
Response
1. In total, how many frontline child protection social workers work for the council (whether employed or agency) as of 1 March 2022?
25
a. How many and what percentage are agency staff?
12 (48%) are agency staff.
b. How many and what percentage are less than two years qualified?
7 (28%) are less than two years qualified.
c. How many and what percentage are both agency staff and less than two years qualified?
0 (0%) are both agency staff and less than two years qualified.
2. What is the full complement of frontline child protection social workers the Department for Children's Services should have, and what is your current recruitment shortfall into those roles (as of 1 March 2022)?
The council has three child protection teams. The number of social workers that each team should have and the recruitment shortfall as of 1 March 2022 is as follows:
1) 5 FTE posts, 4 FTE in post as of 1 March 2022, so shortfall is 1.
2) 6 FTE posts, 7 FTE in post as of 1 March 2022, so shortfall is 0 (additional one due to adding a new post to the team).
3) 8 FTE posts, 6.6 FTE in post as of 1 March 2022, so shortfall of 1.4 FTE.
Please note that the above figures differ to those provided in response to Question 1 because the total number provided in response to that question included project child protection social workers who are currently working in the service. Those positions have not been included in the above because they are not budgeted posts.
3. What is the current average caseload for frontline child protection social workers working for the council (as of 1st March 2022)?
Average caseload based on the number of frontline child protection social workers - 15.9
Average caseload based on the number of FTE frontline child protection social workers - 16.1
4. Please specify how many active cases each frontline child protection social worker who has been qualified for less than two years (as of 1 March 2022) is handling.
16
19
21
26
18
7
15
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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