Social services staff numbers in Scotland and Wales

Staff working in Scottish councils increased from 237,579 to
242,192 in the year to June 2002.

There were 38,159 social work staff in Scottish councils, an
increase of 1,309.

About 55 per cent of social work staff were in salary band c
– staff paid between spinal points 3 and 30 on the local
government pay scale. In June 2002, these staff were earning up to
£20,897 per year.

About 18 per cent were in band b, earning between £21,536
and £33,983 a year, and nearly 25 per cent on band d which
covers staff on manual contracts.

Meanwhile, figures from the National Assembly for Wales show
that there were 18,640 staff directly employed by social services
departments at 30 September 2002. This was a decrease of 34 on the
previous September.

One in four staff were employed in residential establishments
and 15 per cent in the provision of day services.

Headquarters staff, social workers and home care staff accounted
in total for 11,130 or 60 per cent of the total.

Of this, 2,775 worked in the social work field of which 939 were
social workers and 195 were team leaders and the rest social work
assistants

Nearly all social workers had some form of listed qualification
and just fewer than 100 spoke Welsh.

The largest number of part-time staff work in the provision of
home care, where there are 8,110 staff of whom 7,300 are
part-time.

• Scottish figures at www.scotland.gov.uk/jointstaffingwatch.  
Welsh statistics at www.lgdu-wales.gov.uk.