An urgent review of funding mechanisms is needed to ensure councils can recruit quality social workers, local authority chiefs have warned.
Almost three quarters of councils are thought to be struggling to recruit and retain enough social workers, despite £65m being spent each year by central government to encourage people to enter the profession.
The Local Government Association (LGA) today called for social work to be put 'on a par' with other health and care professions with greater backing to support career development opportunities.
Some 60% of children's services departments are reporting rising recruitment challenges, alongside a 50% rise in the number of referrals to children's social services.
The LGA today launched a new support pack to help councils recruit and retain social workers, which includes best practice examples on important staff requirements.
'With tens of millions of pounds currently spent on grants for social work trainees with no assurance that they will find their way into any of the many vacancies around the country, we need to get smarter and ensure that these resources are available to councils who can act more flexibly to respond to local need,' said Cllr David Simmonds, chairman of the LGA's children and young people board.
'In many areas career development for existing social workers and recruiting experienced managers are higher priorities than getting more people through social work courses.
'We need to use all available resources in the most effective manner so that we have a workforce fit for the challenges our society faces in keeping children safe and giving them a fresh start when things go wrong at home,' Cllr Simmonds added.
