Safe workloads and case allocation
Strategic decisions, performance monitoring, and risk management
Workload management systems provide valuable insights into an organisation’s operational capacity. They also facilitate strategic decision-making. These systems allow ongoing monitoring and evaluation of team and individual performance, leading to timely interventions. Effective workload management:
- identifies risks and challenges early
- ensures timely case allocation for high-risk cases
- reduces the likelihood of critical incidents or emergencies
Efficient use of resources
Improving case allocation maximises resources like staffing, funding, and facilities. Assigning cases based on skills, expertise, and availability ensures all allocated work gets the right attention.
Reduce administration demands to prevent burnout
Social workers face increasing administrative tasks that are demanding and stressful. These tasks often lack fulfilment and distract from core responsibilities. Many social workers do admin work in the evenings and weekends, which is often not included in workload calculations. Research by Murphy et al (see References) showed that admin demands reduce the time child protection social workers spend with children:
- 45% spend less than 10% of their week directly with children
- 37% spend only 11% to 20% of their time on direct work
Research shows that administrative demands cause pressure and burnout. Better administrative support would improve service quality, allowing more time with people who access services.
Focus on workforce wellbeing
Many social workers find their workloads unmanageable, raising wellbeing concerns. Research shows that both adult and children’s services social workers report very high caseloads, with workload pressures and stress increasing over time. Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) social workers highlight the need for protected caseloads and reflection time for new and existing social workers.
- one third feel their organisations have a safe staff-to-service user ratio
- 57% recently worked 50 hours plus in a week, leading to burnout
- about four in ten ASYE social workers find their workload excessive
High workloads cause stress, depression, and anxiety among employees. Leaders have a legal duty to protect the workforce’s health and wellbeing. Regulating workloads and reducing health risks is important.
Effective workload management systems balance workloads and distribute cases appropriately to prevent overwhelming practitioners. Sufficient staffing improves wellbeing and reduces burnout. High workloads limit recovery time and contribute to high turnover and vacancy rates.
Improve retention by prioritising social worker wellbeing
A workplace that prioritises social worker wellbeing through effective workload management builds loyalty, commitment, and belonging, which are crucial for retention. Social workers stay longer if they think staffing levels are safe.
Department for Education research shows high workloads often drive social workers to leave. The department’s research showed that one-third of former child and family social workers say manageable caseloads might bring them back.
For ASYE social workers, unmanageable workloads and admin tasks are common reasons for wanting to leave. Moral distress from resource constraints also contributes to this. Feeling they make a difference is crucial for retaining practitioners.
Ensure sufficient time for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and supervision
Effective workload management ensures social workers have time for professional development like training, supervision, and reflective practice to improve their skills. Work commitments often prevent participation in CPD and supervision, leading to missed sessions. More information is available in the Employer standard 2: CPD resource.
Perceptions of fairness and equity
A clear workload management and case allocation system ensures fair, transparent work distribution based on capacity, skill and availability. It also:
- promotes fairness
- sustains wellbeing
- improves performance
See Employer standard 7: Professional registration for more information on a ‘just’ organisational culture.
Organisational reputation
Effective workload management shows a responsible employer who prioritises:
- employee wellbeing
- professional development
- fairness
- positive work environment.
By preventing overwhelming workloads you demonstrate concern for practitioners’ wellbeing. You will be more likely to attract and retain skilled professionals.
Benefits for direct practice
Understaffing and high caseloads threaten safe practice. Fitness to practise reviews show workload pressures are often a factor. Research indicates excessive workloads reduce contact with service users. A Scottish Association of Social Work survey found that 97% of respondents believe lighter workloads would better protect the people using services.
Importance of implementing the standard
Consistent and transparent workload management systems are vital for an organisation’s success and sustainability. These systems promote fairness and support employee wellbeing. At the same time, they ensure compliance with legal and regulatory standards.
The Department for Education has identified improving workforce stability within statutory children’s social work as a priority. The demands on practitioners in adult and mental health services have become more pronounced. The demands come from a greater need for services due to an ageing population and more mental health issues.
More efficient workload management and case allocation systems will allow social workers to:
- focus on priority tasks
- maintain high standards of work
- achieve better outcomes for people using social care services
Also, organisations with strong workload management systems attract employees seeking a supportive working environment. There are particular benefits for the sustained wellbeing, retention, and performance of social workers.
If health checks or internal audits show your organisation is not meeting the Workload and Case Allocation standard, developing an action plan is important. Effective communication is essential to ensure your action plan is effective.
SMART planning
Make your planning SMART (smart, measurable, achievable and time bound). Below find the actions you should think about to implement SMART.
Using SMART planning can help to address many important considerations which are explained in this section.
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 across your organisation. 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 easy 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.
References
This is the list of research and evidence sources used to produce this section. Publicly available links are included.
Banks, S., Zasada, M., Jago, R., Gallagher, A., Austin, Z., & van der Gaag, A. (2020). Social workers under the spotlight: An analysis of fitness to practise referrals to the regulatory body in England, 2014–2016. The British Journal of Social Work, 50(2), 326-347.
Brady, E. (2013). Child protection social workers’ engagement in continuing professional development: An exploratory study. Social Work Education, 33(6), 819–834.
Community Care and UNISON. (n.d.). A day in the life of social work research.
Department for Education. (2021). Longitudinal study of local authority child and family social workers (Wave 3) Research report July 2021.
Department for Education. (2021). Longitudinal study of local authority child and family social workers (Wave 5).
Department for Education. (2023). Stable homes, built on love: Implementation strategy and consultation children’s social care reform 2023.
Hampshire County Council. (2015). The role and impact of enhanced administrative support to social work teams rapid research review.
Health and Safety Executive. (2023). Work-related stress, depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain.
Health and Safety Executive. (n.d.). Work-related stress and how to manage it.
Hussein, S. (2018). Work engagement, burnout and personal accomplishments among social workers: A comparison between those working in children and adults' services in England. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 45(6), 911-923.
Kalliath, P., & Kalliath, T. (2014). Work–family conflict: Coping strategies adopted by social workers. Journal of Social Work Practice, 28(1), 111–126.
Katheryn Margaret Pascoe, K. M., Waterhouse-Bradley, B., & McGinn, T. (2023). Social workers’ experiences of bureaucracy: A systematic synthesis of qualitative studies. The British Journal of Social Work, 53(1), 1-23.
Kings Fund. (2023). Demand for adult social care hits record high while support from local authorities drops.
Local Government Chronicle. (2022). ‘Unmanageable caseloads’ major concern of nine in ten social workers.
McFadden, P., Davies, H., Manthorpe, J., MacLochlainn, J., McGrory, S., Naylor, R., Mallett, J., Kirby, K., Currie, D., Schroder, H., Nicholl, P., Mullineux, J., & McColgan, M. (2024). Safe staffing and workload management in social work: A scoping review of legislation, policy and practice. The British Journal of Social Work. Advance online publication.
McFadden, P., MacLochlainn, J., Manthorpe, J., Naylor, R., Schroder, H., McGrory, S., Ravalier, J., Nicholl, P., Currie, D., Kirby, K., Davies, H., Mullineux, J., McColgan, M., & Mallett, J. (2024). Perceptions of safe staffing, self-reported mental well-being and intentions to leave the profession among UK social workers: A mixed methods study. The British Journal of Social Work, 1-23. Advance online publication.
Murphy, C., Turay, J., Parry, N., & Birch, N. (2024). What do child protection social workers consider to be the systemic factors driving workforce instability within the English child protection system, and what are the implications for the UK Government’s reform strategy? Journal of Social Work Practice, 38(2), 205–220.
Professional Association of Social Work and Social Workers. (2022). Working conditions and wellbeing of social workers.
Ravalier, J., Wainwright, E., Clabburn, O., Loon, M., & Smyth, N. (2021). Working conditions and wellbeing in UK social workers. Journal of Social Work, 21(5), 1105-1123.
Social Work Scotland. (2022). Setting the bar: Towards an indicative maximum caseload for Scotland’s public sector social workers.
Unterhitzenberger, C., & Lawrence, K. (2023). Fairness matters: Organisational justice in project contexts. Production Planning & Control, 1(16), 1-16.
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The resources have been developed by
Research in Practice
in collaboration with
DfE.
Published: 30 October 2024
Last updated: 04 November 2024
Published: 30 October 2024
Last updated: 04 November 2024