Social workers need workload health checks to avoid high caseloads…

June 2011

39% of social workers describe their current caseload as ‘unmanageable’, and 69% say it has increased in the past 12 months.  The figures come from a survey of almost 600 social work practitioners, conducted by social work recruitment consultancy Liquid Personnel.

These figures illustrate the increased pressures being placed upon social workers, who are tasked with safeguarding society’s most vulnerable people.  The survey also shows that more than 4 in 5 social workers (81%) are often working over and above their usual hours in order to get their job done.

Despite this, when asked if their employers had followed the Social Work Task Force’s recommendation and carried out a “health check” (covering key issues such as caseloads and vacancy rates), 50% said ‘no’, and a further 36% said they were ‘unsure’.

Jonathan Coxon, managing director of Liquid Personnel, commented on the results:

“We want more people to understand the difficulties of being a frontline social worker, and the intense workloads that so many are facing.”

“Monitoring your employees’ workloads is essential in any industry, but when the safety of vulnerable people is at risk, it becomes so much more crucial.”

“By undertaking a workload health check, employers can help give a clear picture of the current state of the profession, as well as demonstrate that they value their own staff.  However this will only be worthwhile if the resources are made available to actually rectify any problems which are identified”.