Data set from Children's social work workforce

1. Indicators (in post, starters, leavers, agency workers, vacancies, caseload and absence)

Latest data

Published 19 March 2026

Last updated 19 March 2026

FTE and headcount figures on: social workers in post; starters; leavers; agency social workers in post; vacancies; caseload; and sickness absence.

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Data set details

• Theme: Children's social care
• Publication: Children's social work workforce
• Release: Reporting year 2025
• Number of rows: 1,463
• Geographic levels: Local authority, National, Regional
• Indicators:
  • Social workers in post - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Social workers in post - headcount (as at 30 September)
  • Social worker starters - FTE (year to 30 September)
  • Social worker starters - headcount (year to 30 September)
  • Social worker leavers - FTE (year to 30 September)
  • Social worker leavers - headcount (year to 30 September)
  • Turnover rate - FTE (year to 30 September)
  • Turnover rate - headcount (year to 30 September)
  • Agency workers in post - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Agency workers in post - headcount (as at 30 September)
  • Agency worker rate - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Agency worker rate - headcount (as at 30 September)
  • Agency workers in post covering vacancies - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Agency workers covering vacancies rate - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Vacancies - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Vacancy rate - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Vacancy agency worker cover rate - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Cases held (as at 30 September)
  • Social and agency workers holding cases - FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Average caseload - per FTE (as at 30 September)
  • Working days missed due to sickness absence (year to 30 September)
  • Sickness absence rate - FTE (year to 30 September)
• Time period: 2017 to 2025

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Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data

time_period	time_identifier	geographic_level	country_code	country_name	region_code	region_name	old_la_code	new_la_code	la_name	inpost_fte	inpost_headcount	starters_fte	starters_headcount	leavers_fte	leavers_headcount	turnover_rate_fte	turnover_rate_headcount	agency_fte	agency_headcount	agency_rate_fte	agency_rate_headcount	agency_cover_fte	agency_cover_rate_fte	vacancy_fte	vacancy_rate_fte	vacancy_agency_cover_rate_fte	case_holders_fte	cases	caseload_fte	working_days_lost_fte	absence_rate_fte
2025	Reporting year	National	E92000001	England						36186.3	38292	5837.8	6043	4276.3	4611	11.8	12	5415.9	5566	13	12.7	4390.8	81.1	5965.4	14.2	73.6	21105.4	321661	15.2	322786.3	3.5
2025	Reporting year	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000001	North East				2299.3	2434	363.2	375	269.9	289	11.7	11.9	206	210	8.2	7.9	158.5	77	223.9	8.9	70.8	1378.9	22736	16.5	22947.5	3.9
2025	Reporting year	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West				5239.2	5538	930.1	966	637.7	685	12.2	12.4	1044.5	1057	16.6	16	741.9	71	975	15.7	76.1	3116.7	49351	15.8	54697.2	4.1
2025	Reporting year	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000003	Yorkshire and The Humber				4116	4405	600.1	618	408.8	445	9.9	10.1	353.1	358	7.9	7.5	221.3	62.7	330.8	7.4	66.9	2172.4	34544	15.9	42690.2	4.1
2025	Reporting year	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000004	East Midlands				2626.6	2802	425.8	454	257.2	306	9.8	10.9	300.4	308	10.3	9.9	258	85.9	352.4	11.8	73.2	1613.6	24682	15.3	27516	4.1

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Variables in this data set

Table showing all 22 variables

Variable name	Variable description
absence_rate_fte	Sickness absence rate - FTE (year to 30 September)
agency_cover_fte	Agency workers in post covering vacancies - FTE (as at 30 September)
agency_cover_rate_fte	Agency workers covering vacancies rate - FTE (as at 30 September)
agency_fte	Agency workers in post - FTE (as at 30 September)
agency_headcount	Agency workers in post - headcount (as at 30 September)
agency_rate_fte	Agency worker rate - FTE (as at 30 September)
agency_rate_headcount	Agency worker rate - headcount (as at 30 September)
case_holders_fte	Social and agency workers holding cases - FTE (as at 30 September)
caseload_fte	Average caseload - per FTE (as at 30 September)
cases	Cases held (as at 30 September)
inpost_fte	Social workers in post - FTE (as at 30 September)
inpost_headcount	Social workers in post - headcount (as at 30 September)
leavers_fte	Social worker leavers - FTE (year to 30 September)
leavers_headcount	Social worker leavers - headcount (year to 30 September)
starters_fte	Social worker starters - FTE (year to 30 September)
starters_headcount	Social worker starters - headcount (year to 30 September)
turnover_rate_fte	Turnover rate - FTE (year to 30 September)
turnover_rate_headcount	Turnover rate - headcount (year to 30 September)
vacancy_agency_cover_rate_fte	Vacancy agency worker cover rate - FTE (as at 30 September)
vacancy_fte	Vacancies - FTE (as at 30 September)
vacancy_rate_fte	Vacancy rate - FTE (as at 30 September)
working_days_lost_fte	Working days missed due to sickness absence (year to 30 September)

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Footnotes

1. Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster were unable to provide data for 2025 following a cyberattack which had a significant impact on their information management systems. Therefore, figures from the previous year were used as best estimates for these local authorities to calculate 2025 totals for England, London, and Inner London.

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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about 1. Indicators (in post, starters, leavers, agency workers, vacancies, caseload and absence) statistics and data:

Children’s Services Statistics Team

Email: csww.stats@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Andy Brook

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