Social worker recruitment to ease rising staff caseloads, meeting told
Social worker recruitment expected to ease rising staff caseloads, meeting told v.1
The number of social workers joining Wakefield Council is set to increase as figures reveal a rise in caseloads for the authority’s safeguarding staff, a meeting heard.
Current data shows the average number of cases being dealt with by staff is above maximum target levels.
The statistic has shown up as a ‘red flag’ on the authority’s latest key performance indicators for the second quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.
A report to the council’s children and young people scrutiny committee said the maximum staff caseload target of 20 had been exceeded between July and September.
It said: “A higher volume of referrals was received in quarter two which may have been related to a seasonal spike seen before and after the school holiday period.
“As work on these cases is completed and impact is achieved for children and families, it is likely caseloads will reduce in the next quarter.
“In the meantime, managers continue to work with teams to identify and progress case closures where appropriate and to provide additional support in teams where caseloads are higher.”
Vicky Schofield, the council’s corporate director for children and young people, told a scrutiny committee meeting that caseload numbers were expected to decrease following the appointment of more staff.
She said: “We have discussed average caseloads before.
“There are very similar issues at play. We are expecting them to see them shift.
“We’ve had a number of new starters in the social work workforce.
“We have got more new starters moving through into the permanent workforce this year than in previous years.”
Ms Schofield said ten additional workers had been recruited through a national scheme which the council had been selected to take part in.
The committee was also told that the council’s first cohort of apprentice social workers had completed their three-year training period.
She added: “We are now beginning to see them join the permanent workforce as they get their social work registration.
“We are effectively expecting to see (caseload figures) come down.”
The issue was one of two out of 20 areas of the council’s children and young people services to be given a ‘red’ rating.
The other 18 were given a ‘green’ rating, indicating targets had been achieved.