News

More than 700 attended the North West Social Care Event  – Socnow  – in Manchester Town Hall on 3 June. This was double the number that attended the first and second events in 2001 and 2002. Queues trailed outside and the workshops were heavily oversubscribed, as social work students and prospective employees came to see and hear what the region has to offer those thinking of a career in social work or social care.

Twenty local authorities from the north west came together to make the event a great success, backed by a range of voluntary organisations and staff agencies. The day centred around four workshops. Three were familiar from previous years: Getting over the recruitment hurdle; A day in the life of a social worker; and Post-qualifying opportunities in social work.

 A new one for this year – What services do young people want? – offered those at the event an opportunity to hear directly from young people what were their concerns and needs were and how this could help shape the services they want.

The organisations behind Socnow prefer to work as a team promoting the virtues of the region, trying to import social workers into the North West rather than competing with each other for a limited pool of workers.

The aim of the day is not to sign up people to specific jobs there and then but to give them information about the range of jobs on offer and even more to keep the North West at the forefront of their minds. According to Caroline Marsh, deputy director or Manchester social services, and one of the organisers of the event: “It is difficult to measure the immediate success of the event. It is part of an overall strategy in which Socnow raises the profile of the region and allows us to keep in contact with prospective employees. Actual recruitment may come several years later as they remember us and what we have to offer.”

This approach is shared by Adele Boyle, personnel manager for adult and children care services in Rochdale: “We see Socnow as an opportunity to promote Rochdale and its advantages as an employer. While we do not expect to recruit directly from the event itself, it provides an excellent opportunity for interested people to meet prospective employers.”

Manchester did recruit directly last year according to Marsh but this is not generally true for the whole region.  Marsh is aware that recruitment difficulties in social care have not eased much over the past year or so. Clearly there is no miracle or overnight cure for solving recruitment difficulties in social work and social care.

The government-backed initiative to increase the pool of social workers through increasing the numbers studying for the new social work degree is only beginning to bear fruit and it will take some time to see a substantial increase in the numbers entering the job market.

Meanwhile, the familiar vacancy blackspots remain – in children and families services most acutely.

But the 20 or so North west local authorities are determined to resist the self-defeating approach to recruitment which entails seeking to “poach” staff from other authorities by means of a raft of financial inducements. Rather they want to stress the advantages of living and working in the area. For example, Adele Boyle points out in regard to Rochdale: “The advantages of the local area is that it is close to motorway network, has reasonable house prices, offers flexible working, attractive retention schemes and new initiatives in child care services.”

These inducements are primarily targeted at social workers. But when it comes to social care jobs such as home care workers or domiciliary staff, Rochdale like other authorities has to attract local people. And here, paradoxically, an area like Rochdale is a victim of the success of the local council in its urban regeneration schemes. This means the job market remains tight with new retail outlets drawing in staff that in other circumstances may have considered a job in social care.

Still, the number attending Socnow 2004 prove that many people are actively considering a career in social care and the organisers aim to keep in touch with those who registered so that the region and its attractions are never far from the thoughts of those thinking of a career move or new career.