News

The department of health is to launch a three-year national recruitment campaign for social workers, but there is no promise to increase salary levels, writes Clare Jerrom.

Denise Platt, chief inspector of social services, has written to directors of social services saying the government has responded to research undertaken by the Local Government Association earlier this year, which showed that 63 per cent of local authorities were experiencing difficulties recruiting social workers.

"The research suggested that the most important factor in deterring people from entering social work was the intensely negative image that surrounds the profession," Platt said. "This negative image is accompanied by an almost total lack of knowledge amongst the general public about what social workers really do."

The campaign will include national press and radio coverage, with extra coverage in London and the south-east where recruitment problems are known to be particularly acute. It will be accompanied by information booklets explaining what social work is and how to enter a career in it. A separate booklet will be available on social care work.

In addition, the government will set up a phone number for potential recruits to call for more information, and a website to provide details of the campaign and links to major organisations within social care.

However, in the letter, there is no mention of financial incentives. This is in contrast to recent recruitment drives for nurses and teachers which offered extra money to attract more recruits.

The campaign will be officially announced at the annual social services conference in October, but publicity will begin in September. The move follows health minister John Hutton's pledge in March at the launch of a joint Community Care and LGA campaign to raise awareness about the good work done by social care staff.