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Social workers are hampered by unmanageable caseloads…

August 11th 2010

The initial results of our social work survey have been released today, highlighting the challenges facing social workers in England and Wales.  Headline findings on the subject of caseloads include:

  • Four in 10 social workers feel their caseload is unmanageable
     

  • Two-thirds say their caseload has increased in the past 12 months     

  • 84% of all social workers said they often work overtime to get the job done

These revelations follow several stories of social workers struggling with excessive caseloads, reflected in our previous blog post Social Work Caseloads – how much is too much?  The initial results have been picked up by community care, who led with an article on their website this afternoon.

Our Managing Director, Jonathan Coxon, had this to say…

“Our survey highlights some of the difficulties of being a frontline social worker. While child protection workers are often portrayed negatively in the media, it’s essential to stand up for social workers and give a true reflection of the challenges they are faced with in their daily work.

 Excessive caseloads are a problem for many social work teams, and they can have a significant effect on frontline workers’ ability to do their jobs effectively. 

We have seen how unmanageable caseloads can lead to dangerous working conditions and create risks for vulnerable children, and this situation will persist unless caseloads are addressed.”

We will be releasing more detail on these findings, and new in-depth insights from the survey in the coming weeks.  This will focus on key areas including child protection, newly qualified social workers, the demise of the GSCC, morale, and social work in the media.  Be sure to check back here for the latest results, or follow us on twitter for regular updates.

If you have questions about the survey, or a reaction to these initial results, please leave a comment below, or contact us now for media enquiries.  

Read Community Care’s article on our survey findings