Falkirk Council: Social workers paid lowest in Scotland leading to shortage with those in need suffering

Members of Falkirk Council’s education committee were told on Tuesday that Falkirk is losing experienced staff to other authorities as they “cannot afford to stay”.

Social work chiefs told councillors that they have now launched a new recruitment strategy and staffing structure with incentives that they hope will encourage more people to come to Falkirk and, more importantly, stay working here.

Falkirk offers the lowest top hourly rate in the country, members heard, which meant that it has been very difficult to keep experienced staff.

Over the past year, the cost of living crisis has made a difficult situation worse as transport costs for staff getting to work have substantially increased, as fuel prices soar. As a result, many fully qualified staff have now opted to work closer to where they live.

The report to councillors stated: “We also have staff tell us they are leaving to go elsewhere because they will be paid much more and cannot afford not stay with us.”

Nationally, the average starting salary is £38,344. Falkirk Council’s starting salary is £36,994, a difference of £1,400. The national average top of point of salary offered is £42,257 compared to Falkirk Council which is £40,243, a difference of £2,014.

The report makes clear that while there is an issue across Scotland, the turnover rate is higher in Falkirk than other areas and the lack of experience is having an impact on people needing social work intervention.

Across services, the number of unallocated cases has been growing and, after being seen by duty teams, people can wait months to be allocated a case worker. Assessments and reviews are also being held up, while reports to tribunals and panels are taking longer, leading to delays in decisions being made.

Children and young people are also reporting they are not getting the chance to form a relationship with their social worker, and some are now refusing to engage due to constant changes.

In a bid to encourage more experienced staff to stay working for Falkirk, a number of advanced practitioner posts have now been created that will put an emphasis on training and development in return for better wages.

The overall cost of introducing the new structure will be £284,775 for adult services; £117,472 for justice services; and £268,884 for children’s services.

However Scottish Government money will fund £622,000 of the increase, with a contribution of £35,000 from the Health and Social Care Partnership to boost the amount for justice services. However, members heard, in order to fully fund the proposals there would be an overall reduction in staff numbers.

Members of the education executive were also able to watch new videos that have been made in a bid to persuade people of the benefits of working in Falkirk. In one of the videos, Chief Social Work officer Sara Lacey tells people about the new opportunities now available locally in a job that is “challenging but also incredibly rewarding”. In the other, social workers share positive experiences of the support they get from colleagues in Falkirk.

Councillor Fiona Collie, the administration’s health and social care spokesperson, said the report and videos were “very positive” and she was confident that the new roles would support recruitment and development.

Dialogue is ongoing with trade unions about the new structure and it will be reviewed in a year’s time to ensure it is making a difference.