The government has released its outline of rules on the use of agency workers, interims and locums in the social service sector.
The positive response has been very much welcomed, but there are still concerns about support for these workers.
Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Deputy Chief Executive Kate Shoesmith, explained, “The government’s response rightfully recognises the important role agency workers, interims and locums play in children and family services.
“As our recent campaign, Voice of the Worker, underlines, there are many reasons why people need and choose to work via an agency. Growing demand on social services, increasing pressure on social workers and a strong desire for flexible working are key drivers.
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“So, while it is encouraging that the Department for Education (DfE) has added a dose of pragmatism to some of the suggested policies, for example on the inclusion of a break glass provision in the agency rules, we remain concerned that these new rules don’t learn the lessons of other public sector procurement frameworks.
“This is a workforce that needs far better support and an appreciation for why they work the way they do. Through collaboration between government, local authorities, recruiters and social workers, we can reduce the risk of losing social workers from the sector when all that many of them want is greater flexibility.
“It is going to be vitally important that each measure is fully evaluated so the proposals set out today do not exacerbate the significant recruitment and retention crisis in the UK social care sector – our own data shows 21,703 job postings for social workers right now.”
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