PROPOSALS to employ 14 new social workers to help reduce workload pressures, improve productivity and maintain the welfare of children in need of help or protection will go before the council’s ruling cabinet next week.
Councillors will be asked to agree £585,000 funding for the recruitment of 14 full time additional social workers.
The council currently employs 73.5 full-time equivalent social workers, who deal with an average caseload of 21.7 each. The proposals will reduce this to 18.
Coun Margaret Bruff, the council’s spokesman for safeguarding, said: “Manageable social work caseloads provide the capacity to respond even better to children in need of safeguarding and statutory services, including children in care.
“They also provide increased opportunity for evidence based interventions and relationship based practice, where maximum time is directly spent engaging with children and families, enabling social workers to really understand a child’s needs, experiences and the impact of harm, to help make the right decisions for children at the right time.
“This report shows how we are a listening council.”
