Effective workforce planning systems
The standard aims to ensure the best results for social work services for children, adults, and their carers. Planning for the development of resources in the long and medium terms is important.
It is crucial to have a skilled, motivated, and respected workforce. This will improve retention and the organisation's reputation.
A report from Social Work England highlighted the need for a supportive workplace. It should be collaborative, flexible, and friendly. This kind of workplace is a significant factor in job retention.
Employer standard: 1 Strong and clear social work framework has tools to support the development of positive workplace cultures.
The health check (or internal monitoring and auditing) may reveal that your organisation is not meeting the standard for effective workforce planning systems. If this is the case, then you should develop an action plan for change.
Questions to ask yourself as a leader before action planning
Are you:
- offering enough support for students, new staff, and people returning from sickness or other absence? How would they describe their first year if asked?
- making sure you understand why people leave the organisation?
- making sure that departing employees feel positive about their time at the organisation? Would they recommend working at the organisation to a friend?
- making sure that you and your senior colleagues are visible enough in the organisation to understand the realities of the work and what is expected of people?
- aware of the long and short-term demands of the service and how these can be met by the workforce?
- aware if sickness absence is common? Does it come from work-related stress or other work-related ill-health?
- open to understanding the causes and how to respond effectively?
Plan actions to support effective workforce planning. They should target all levels of the organisation.
Before making a plan, consider these suggestions at each level. They are based on evidence for good practice in integrating health and social care.
At the organisational level there should be:
- long-term planning that identifies demands for the service and workforce needs. It also covers new, flexible ways of working, costs, risks, resources, and organisational demands
- an understanding of social policy, research and best practice which may inform both demands for the service and new ways of working
- elected members who understand the work's realities. They should also understand the workforce planning necessary to run the service well
- a plan for attracting, recruiting, and keeping practitioners. They come from diverse backgrounds
- feedback loops, like staff surveys, to learn the views of the workforce. These should focus on motivation, commitment to stay, and the support staff receive
- understanding of your workforce data
- tools for measuring and analysing trends in sickness absence, retention, and staff to reveal any systemic problems
- a way of identifying issues practitioners may have to give support to and avoid escalation
At the leadership level there should be a good understanding of:
- the day-to-day demands of practitioners
- pressures on front-line staff so that early signs of pressure are noticed before they negatively affect the system
- caseload management so that cases are fairly assigned, and team leaders can identify workload pressures as they arise
- how practitioners get the support and supervision needed to manage stress
- the satisfaction and continuing professional development of social workers
- how supervision works to balance high support and high challenge, as this helps social workers perform well
At the practitioner level, there should be:
- encouragement to express views on their working conditions and experiences and suggest improvements to support best social work practice
- opportunities to pursue learning and development, practical tools to support wellbeing, and encouragement to prioritise self-care
- an understanding of how their role fits into the organisational structure
- a workplace where the organisation values individual contributions
Effective communication is crucial for any successful action plan focused on employee wellbeing. Use SMART planning (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely).
Clear communication is important to any successful action plan. This is especially true for plans about employee wellbeing.
You should share findings from the health check or monitoring. It is a good idea to highlight strengths and areas for improvement. Also, show commitment to fixing issues. You could think about creating an open environment where employees feel able to share concerns and feedback freely. This helps them take part in action plan discussions.
Clearly define objectives. Specify the action plan’s goals and describe:
- what it will address
- its reasons for priority
- when it will finish
- how to measure it
Use inclusive language as it promotes a collective effort. A commitment to co-design is another important tool. It stresses the importance of creating solutions together. It shows how input from employees and stakeholders will shape the action plan.
Regular updates will ensure transparency and engagement with ongoing progress reports. Feedback mechanisms are a way for employees to contribute feedback and act on it.
Make sure that your organisation has access to information. It's important to develop good communication skills in your organisation. You could consider providing communication training, especially for leaders. This is a useful tool to support open dialogue.
You should celebrate achievements and progress. This encourages a positive organisational culture.
Next page: Improve how you meet this standard
The resources have been developed by
Research in Practice
in collaboration with
DfE.
Published: 30 October 2024
Last updated: 30 October 2024
Published: 30 October 2024
Last updated: 30 October 2024