Effective workforce planning systems
Social work services need a competent workforce, so workforce planning is important. It ensures the right people with the right skills are in the right roles when needed. This helps meet the organisation's goals.
To start, leaders should know the demand for social work services. In adult social care, projections show a need for 440,000 new positions. By 2035, this is a 25 per cent increase. This is due to the expected rise in people aged 65 and over, so consider demographic changes. Pay special attention to ageing populations in places like coastal and rural communities.
Strategic leaders need to develop strategies to retain staff and lower turnover costs. These strategies should encourage staff to stay, develop their careers, and advance. Also, they should offer flexible work options and support staff returning after illness or breaks.
This standard expects leaders to recruit and support a diverse workforce. A diversity-oriented leadership style can significantly improve retention by creating an environment where employees from diverse backgrounds feel valued, respected and supported.
The following sections provide strategies for strategic social work leaders. The strategies aim to improve recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse workforce.
A consultation found that many older social workers would delay retirement if they had more support from their employers. The study found that caregivers, people with disabilities and people from minority backgrounds need flexibility. Flexible schedules can boost productivity and retention. Employers should ensure their employees understand their roles and feel supported.
You can review Employer standard 1 for guidance on developing a clear and strong practice framework. For help with managing workloads see Employer standard 3 Safe workloads and case allocation.
Social workers need to feel that:
- their wellbeing is prioritised and supported (see Employer standard 4: Wellbeing)
- they are supported through effective supervision (see Employer standard 5: Supervision)
- they have opportunities for continuing professional development review (see Employer standard 8: Strategic partnerships).
References
This is the list of research and evidence sources used to produce this section. Publicly available links are included.
Department for Education. (2023). Child and family social worker workforce government consultation response.
Government Office for Science Foresight. (2016). Future of -an ageing population project.
Lee, Y., Li, J. Y., & Sunny Tsai, W. H. (2021). Diversity-oriented leadership, internal communication, and employee outcomes: A perspective of racial minority employees. Journal of Public Relations Research, 33(5), 314-334.
Moriarty, J., Gillen, P., Mallett, J., Manthorpe, J., Schröder, H., & McFadden, P. (2020). Seeing the finish line? Retirement perceptions and wellbeing among social workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4722.
Skills for Care. (2023). The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England.
Next page: Benefits of achieving the effective workforce planning 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