One in nine social worker posts in England are vacant, according to exclusive research by Community Care.
The statistics, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show an average 10.9% vacancy rate in the 96 councils that responded to our national survey – equivalent to 8,317 unfilled posts.
The figures, collated from councils over the past two months and published for the first time here, also show a marked increase on the national vacancy rate, which has been close to 10% since 2006.
London as a whole had the highest vacancy rate at 18.6%, followed by the West Midlands at 17.8% of all posts, and in the East Midlands at 15.4%. The North East had the lowest proportion of vacant posts at 6.5%.
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Full story: 10.9% of social work posts are vacant
Figures by local authority
Adult's services vacancy rates similar to children's services
Latest data show a sharp rise
Feature: Staff shortages in adult's services overlooked
Blog: The vacancy vicious circle
Have your say about vacancy rates at Carespace
Email us about the findings at: comcare.foi@rbi.co.uk