Reporting year 2022

Children's social work workforce

View latest data: Reporting year 2023This is not the latest data
Published
Release type

Introduction

This release provides information about children and family social workers and agency social workers employed in local authorities. 

The information is based on data collected in an annual census (opens in a new tab) of local authorities in England. The latest collection covers the year from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022.

Children and family social workers are social workers registered with Social Work England (SWE) working in a local authority in a children’s services department or, if working in an authority where the services are joined up, a social worker that works primarily on children and families work. Figures are shown on both a full-time equivalent (FTE) and headcount basis. 

The timeseries in this release features data from 2017 onwards, which is when information on individual social workers was first collected by the Department for Education (DfE). Refer to the ‘Background and coverage’ section of the methodology page for more information.

A time series of national, regional and local authority breakdowns of the data is available in the ‘Explore Data and Files’ section.


Headline facts and figures - 2022

Explore data and files used in this release

  • View or create your own tables

    View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool

  • Data catalogue

    Browse and download open data files from this release in our data catalogue

  • Data guidance

    Learn more about the data files used in this release using our online guidance

  • Download all data (ZIP)

    Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file

Children and family social workers in post

Number of social workers

There were 31,600 full-time equivalent (FTE) children and family social workers in post at 30 September 2022, a decrease of 2.7% or 900 social workers from a year earlier. The corresponding headcount also fell, by 2.9% to 33,700. 

These falls are the first annual decreases since the series started in 2017, with both the FTE and headcount measures now below the level reported in 2020. 

The latest results from the Children’s Services Omnibus (opens in a new tab) showed that, of the third of local authorities who responded, a majority cited recruitment and retention to be a key challenge. Additionally, there were no Step Up to Social Work graduates (opens in a new tab) in 2022, since the training programme delivers a new cohort of qualified social workers in alternate years [1].

The reported difficulties in recruitment and retention and the lack of newly qualified step up graduates helps to explain the fall in the number of children and family social workers in 2022.

[1] The Skills for Care ‘Social Work Education’ report (opens in a new tab), published in June 2022, shows that the latest Step Up to Social Work graduate cohort in March 2021 produced 658 newly qualified social workers.

Age and gender of social workers (FTE)

With the exception of those aged 60 and over, the number of children and family social workers fell across all age groups between 2021 and 2022. Those aged 20 to 29 (330 social workers) and 50 to 59 (320) accounted for 75% of the overall fall of 900 social workers.

Nearly 9 in 10, or 87%, of children and family social workers were female. This is higher than the 75% seen in the teaching profession [1] and the 45% seen in professional occupations [2]. 

Although males accounted for 13% of social workers, they accounted for 20% of the overall fall between 2021 and 2022 (a decrease of 200).

[1] State-funded schools in England. From 2021 DfE statistics on School workforce in England

[2] Based on estimates from Nomis (opens in a new tab) of the Annual Population Survey, October 2021 to September 2022. Major groups ‘managers, directors and senior officials’ and ‘professional occupations’ from the 2020 SOC (Standard Occupational Classification).

Time in service at local authority (FTE)

Time in service is a measure of the total time in years that a social worker has been employed continuously in any children and family social worker role at their current local authority, rather than only the time they have spent in their current children and family social worker role.

The overall fall of 900 child and family social workers between 2021 and 2022 was largely accounted for by a decrease in workers who had been in service for less than 5 years (down by 1,300). However, this was partially offset by rises in workers who had been in service for 5 years or more but less than 10 years and 20 years or more but less than 30 years, which increased by 500 and 100 respectively. 

Social worker role (FTE)

A case holder is a children and family social worker that manages cases, but is not in a senior manager, middle manager, first line manager or senior practitioner role (however, cases can be hold by those not in case holder roles).

Between 2021 and 2022, the overall fall of 900 child and family social workers was mainly accounted for by a decrease in those in case holder roles (down by 800). 

The number of first line managers and senior practitioners also fell over the period, whereas there was a slight increase in middle managers and senior managers. 

In 2022, some 47% of children and family social workers were reported as being in a case holder role, down from 51% in 2017.

Ethnic origin (headcount)

Ethnicity was known for 81% of child and family social workers in 2022. Of those, 24% were from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding White minorities), up from 23% last year and 20% in 2017. These changes are mainly due to an increase in social workers from Black ethnic groups since 2017. 

At 24%, the proportion of social workers from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding White minorities), is greater than the 10% seen in the teaching profession [1] and the 16% seen in professional occupations [2]. However, it is lower than the 30% seen in the children in need [3] population.

[1] State-funded schools in England. From 2021 DfE statistics on School workforce in England

[2] Based on estimates from Nomis (opens in a new tab) of the Annual Population Survey, October 2021 to September 2022. Major groups ‘managers, directors and senior officials’ and ‘professional occupations’ from the 2020 SOC (Standard Occupational Classification).

[3] From 2022 statistics on Characteristics of children in need. The majority of children in need have a child and family social worker allocated to their episode of need.

Agency workers

Agency workers (FTE)

Agency workers are child and family social workers not directly paid by the local authority. These may be social workers who are paid by an agency rather than the local authority or who are self-employed.

The FTE agency worker rate is calculated as the number of FTE agency staff working as (children and family) social workers at 30 September divided by the sum of the number of FTE agency staff working as social workers at 30 September and the number of FTE social workers. 

There were 6,800 agency social workers in post at 30 September 2022, up by 13% from 6,000 in 2021. This is the highest number and the largest annual increase since the series started in 2017. 

This rise meant the agency worker rate increased from 16% in 2021 to 18% in 2022, which was also the highest rate and the largest annual increase in the series.

Agency workers covering vacancies (FTE)

Four out of every five or 80% of agency social workers were covering vacancies, compared to 76% last year and 74% in 2017.

In situations where agency workers are not covering vacancies they may be employed by a local authority to manage seasonal peaks, or deal with acute backlogs, as an alternative to employing social workers on a permanent basis. 

Caseload

Cases

A case is defined as any person allocated to a named social worker, where the work involves child and family social work. Cases may be held by social workers regardless of their role in the organisation and not just those specifically in a ‘case holder’ role.

Average caseload calculation

The average caseload is calculated as the total number of cases held by FTE social workers (including agency workers) in post at 30 September divided by the number of FTE social workers (including agency workers) in post at 30 September that hold one or more cases.

There were 335,600 cases held by 20,200 FTE children and family social workers and agency workers at 30 September 2022, which is equivalent to an average caseload of 16.6. This was higher than the average caseload of 16.3 reported in 2021, but below the average of 16.9 reported in 2019. The increase between 2021 and 2022 was accounted for by a fall in the number of case holders, as the number of cases held remained stable.

Vacancies

Vacancies

Vacancies are defined as any FTE (child and family social worker) vacancy within a local authority’s organisational structure, including vacancies that are not being actively recruited for, and those covered by agency workers. 

Calculation of the vacancy rate 

The vacancy rate is calculated as the number of FTE vacancies at 30 September divided by the sum of the number of  FTE vacancies at 30 September and the number of FTE social workers at 30 September. 

There were 7,900 child and family social worker vacancies at 30 September 2022, an increase of 21% or 1,400 vacancies from a year earlier. This represents both the highest number and the largest annual increase since the series started in 2017. 

The corresponding vacancy rate increased to 20%, or one in every five social work positions, up from 17% in 2021 and the highest rate reported in the series. 

Overall, 69% of vacancies were covered by agency workers in 2022, down slightly from 70% last year. This is despite the proportion of agency workers being used to cover vacancies being the highest in the series in 2022 (as shown in the agency worker section).

Sickness absence

Calculation of the sickness absence rate

The sickness absence rate is calculated as the number of days missed due to sickness absence during the year divided by the number of FTE social workers at 30 September multiplied by 253 days (the number of working days in a non-leap year, taking account of bank holidays). 

The sickness absence rate for children and family social workers in the year ending 30 September 2022 was 3.5%, up from 3.1% in 2021. This is the highest rate and the largest annual increase since the series started in 2017. 

Starters and leavers at the local authority

Starters

Starters are social workers who joined a vacant child and family social worker post at a local authority in the year ending 30 September. This includes social workers who have previously worked in the same local authority, but in a non-child and family social worker role, and children and family social workers joining from another local authority.

A move or promotion from one child and family social work position to another within the same local authority is not counted as a starter. Social workers returning from maternity or sick leave are not counted as starters. 

For the first time since this series started in 2017, there were fewer children and family social worker starters than leavers.

There were 4,800 FTE children and family social worker starters in the year ending 30 September 2022, a decrease of 13% compared to 2021 and the lowest number in the series. 

There were no newly qualified Step Up to Social Work graduates available in 2022, since the training programme delivers a new cohort of qualified social workers in alternate years [1]. This helps to explain the annual fall in starters seen in 2022 and similarly in 2018 and 2020.

[1] The Skills for Care ‘Social Work Education’ report (opens in a new tab), published in June 2022, shows that the latest Step Up to Social Work graduate cohort in March 2021 produced 658 newly qualified social workers.

Leavers

Leavers are social workers who left a child and family social worker post at a local authority in the year ending 30 September. This includes social workers who are staying at a local authority, but moving to a non-child and family role, for example moving to adult social care, and those continuing as children’s social workers but moving to a different local authority.

Leavers also include social workers who have begun a career break, those seconded out of an organisation or those leaving the profession altogether. They do not include social workers who have started maternity or sick leave.

A move or promotion from one children’s social work position to another children’s social work position within a local authority is not counted as a leaver, unless the social worker left employment at the local authority in between these roles.

The number of FTE leavers during the year increased compared to 2021 and was up by 9% from 5,000 to 5,400. This is the highest number of leavers in the series and with the exception of 2020 the number of leavers has increased each year since 2017. 

Estimates published by DfE based on the year ending 30 September 2021 show that over half (56%) of leavers stopped working in a children's social care role in any capacity and a further 17% moved to a children's social care role as an agency worker. The remaining 27% moved to a children's social work role in a different local authority [2].

[2] Children's social work workforce: attrition, caseload, and agency workforce.

Turnover rate

The turnover rate is calculated as the number of FTE children and family social worker leavers in the year divided by the number of FTE children and family social workers in post at the 30 September.

The increase in leavers meant the FTE turnover rate rose to 17% in 2022, up from 15% a year earlier and the highest rate in the series.

Age of starters and leavers (FTE)

In 2022, across all age groups, the number of starters was the lowest in the series and the number of leavers the highest. For the first time in the series, there were more leavers than starters for those aged 30 to 39 and 40 to 49.

Leavers (FTE) time in service at local authority

Time in service is a measure of the total time in years that a social worker has been employed continuously in any children and family social worker role at their current local authority, rather than only the time they have spent in their current children and family social worker role.

A third (33%) of leavers in 2022 had been in service for less than two years, which was similar to 2017. Over one third (37%) of leavers had been in service for 2 years or more but less than 5 years, up from 30% in 2017. Over the same period, the proportion of leavers that had been in service for five years or more decreased from 37% to 31%. 

Help and support

Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

Official statistics

These are Official Statistics and have been produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:

  • managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
  • meet identified user needs
  • produced according to sound methods
  • well explained and readily accessible

Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Children's social work workforce statistics and data:

Children’s Services Statistics Team

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

Press office

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Telephone: 037 0000 2288

Opening times:
Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)