'More than 90 per cent' of social workers recommend Wakefield Council as 'good place to work'
The overwhelming majority of social workers in Wakefield would recommend the area as a good place to work in the profession, councillors have been told.
Beate Wagner, Wakefield Council' s corporate director for children and young people, said morale within the authority's children's services had improved significantly over the last three years.
The service was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2018, as the watchdog slammed the council for leaving vulnerable children at risk.
The department was under-staffed and social workers were overwhelmed by high caseloads, Ofsted said in their report that year.
Significant progress has been made in the time since however, with the recruitment of new staff and better leadership having driven up standards.
Speaking at an audit committee meeting on Monday, Ms Wagner said that in a recent survey, "Over 90 per cent of our staff would recommend Wakefield (Council) as a good place to work for.
"That's very different to what we saw some years ago, at the start of our improvement journey.
"That's put us in a good position, compared to some other local authorities, in terms of recruitment."
Ms Wagner added however, that all local authorities had struggled to hire social workers during the pandemic, in reference to a national shortage.
The council is expecting Ofsted to return to complete a full inspection of its children's services within the next few months.
The exact date is not known, as the regulator doesn't give notice of its visits well in advance.
Local Democracy Reporting Service