High vacancy rates, poor staff retention – it feels like a ‘crunch point’ in social work
![Ruth Allen and John McGowan interviewed for podcast](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_s/public/2023-12/Podcast%20pic%202.png?h=f763809d&itok=kSUucec3)
Underfunding and a lack of resources is leading to a “cycle of crisis” in social services, BASW’s chief executive Ruth Allen has warned.
As a result, social workers too often find themselves in dysfunctional cultures where they are forced to work “harder” and “longer” to compensate for systemic issues.
Allen was speaking during a recent episode of The Social Worker & The Mentor Podcast alongside general secretary of the Social Workers Union (SWU), John McGowan.
She said: “Organisations need to make it possible for social workers to do that relationship-based work, for them to be with people for whatever amount of time is right.
“But we know there are systemic problems, like the fact that local authorities are massively underfunded compared to a decade ago and can't do the preventative work.
“And so you get into a cycle of crisis, where problems have escalated, and the system is running really hot. Lots of urgent cases are coming in and there are fewer places to direct people to because there's fewer voluntary organisations and other services, or those at the preventative and community end.
“It's about resources because of austerity, and it's also about understanding what some local authorities are doing to get in there early to provide support and fund social work properly, because social workers can get caught up in a culture as well – the 'must work harder', 'must work longer' culture.”
Allen said recruitment and retention is a “longstanding problem” in social work but feels like it is now at a “crunch point”. She argued it is vital practitioners join BASW, the sector’s professional association, to lobby for change.
“It's really important that people have protection by being together with other social workers. By being part of BASW, your professional association provides you with wellbeing support and the solidarity of being with other social workers on our campaigns. For example, our 80/20 campaign is about how you reverse the 80 per cent of time spent in front of a computer and the 20 per cent of time to do social work, so it is the other way round.”
John McGowan stressed social workers need to have the right management in place to work effectively and thrive in the role.
“You need a manager who understands the social work career… and they need to care for you and advocate for you,” he said.
“There are some managers who have gone up a level far too quickly, and you wonder what management training they have had to deal with other employees who may be struggling. You shouldn't be sitting down with a manager who has got their head in a laptop and is just saying, 'Tell me about your next case'.”
He also called for social workers to be properly rewarded for the complex and demanding work that they do.
“There's not a universal pay scale unfortunately, and I think that for the work we do and the training we put in, the reward is not there. We have seen other professions grow in stature and achieve pay awards. I think there is still a lot of work to be done.”
More than 90 per cent of nearly 600 social workers surveyed by Professional Social Work magazine earlier this year said they were in favour of going on strike for better pay and conditions.
Unmanageable caseloads was given as the biggest reason for taking industrial action (35.2 per cent) followed by pay (32.3 per cent).
As a small specialist union, SWU is not able to ballot for strike action. But McGowan urged more social workers to join SWU so that it can pressure to be part of collective bargaining discussions alongside bigger unions.
“My view is a specialist union is the best union to speak for social workers and we should be around the table. So next time anyone who is a member is thinking 'Why are we not involved in that strike?' go back to your organisation and ask, 'Why have you excluded SWU?””
The Social Worker & the Mentor podcast is hosted by social workers Nana Akwasi Yabbey-Hagan and Robert Dyer
Find all episodes on YouTube