News

Community Care launched a major campaign this week aimed at highlighting the deepening recruitment crisis in London.

Care in the Capital Week is focusing public attention on how vulnerable people are being left without consistent and reliable support because the shortage of social workers has now reached crisis point.

The campaign sees the launch of a report called Is Anybody Out There? commissioned by Community Care, which suggests that a poor image and lack of understanding of social work, combined with overstretched services and poor pay and conditions, are among the main reasons for the shortage.

Speaking at the campaign launch in central London on behalf of health minister Jacqui Smith, Lionel Took, a member of the Department of Health's recruitment and retention task force, pledged to "do more to make sure that you are supported in this very important job".

He said that the government was unable to intervene directly in the recruitment crisis because that was a matter for the 4,000 individual employers of social care workers. But he added that government could offer help by increasing resources.

Funding for training, for example, had been increased by £10m, bringing the budget to £57m for 2003. And calls to a helpline set up to deal with calls generated by the DoH recruitment campaign had topped 22,000.

"Social workers do a great job," said Took, adding: "I am delighted to thank you for being a force for good in this country."

Community Care editor Polly Neate said she hoped the campaign would "inspire and change people's perceptions about a vital profession in society".

Care in the Capital is backed by key organisations including the Association of Directors of Social Services, the Local Government Association, the Greater London Authority and the Association of London Government.

- Care in the Capital Week is supported by Celsian.