Telford and Wrekin Council is offering newly qualified social workers £3,000 to join its children’s services department, as long as they agree to work there for at least two years. What do people think about this - is it a good idea?
I think that this practise has been in operation in many councils for a while.
And there was me worrying about getting a job once I quailfy next year! If only I lived near one of the councils offering this scheme, as I would snap it up without a second thought!!
''Those who imprison themselves within the confines of one model only have the perspective of the keyhole''
I would imagine a lot of Newly Qualified Social Workers would be drawn to the golden handshake/hello/handcuff because of the amount of debt they are in after leaving university. I think the last figure for the average graduate's debt was something like £20,000....
Better than nothing but £3,000 a year paid monthly would be a better incentive.
In my last care management job in the city year 2000, I had a welcome package and a yearly £1000 retention bonus. My most recent job had a one off welcome package and no further benefit. I also had to take a drop in pay and annual leave. However I now live in a beautiful part of the Country with lots of access to open and beautiful spaces. Even though the pay and conditions are not as good before I wouldn't go back to the City as my quality of life and health would probably suffer. In this day and age just glad to have a secure job. Lets hope that LA's dont all go down the same route as Glasgow and Liecester. Call centres are not the best way to meet our service user needs.
When I qualified I got £1000 bonus and although I think this is a good idea and that newly qualified workers are essential in any team that a mixed team of experience is required and that this should be offered to any worker choosing to accept a post and this in turn may help with sharing experience with newly qualified workers and them sharing their up to date expertise also. Tink.
Lucky you. I lost my London weighting (policy for workers changing posts to an office further out - and that's the only office, so no choice) so the result of my qualifying? A pay cut, yay. Won't make it up until increment next year. Sigh.
I know of a LA paying close to or just over 7k to pay for final year fees and and included is a golden hello. Not a bad incentive, especially for those just starting out in a career, particularly when a big problem would be housing and needing a large sum urgently to set up home somewhere.
"And there was me worrying about getting a job once I quailfy next year! If only I lived near one of the councils offering this scheme, as I would snap it up without a second thought!!"
I would exercise with caution - we need to ask why some authorities are offering these incentives and some aren't. In my area (which i would consider to be made up of 8 local authorities), there is only one which offers a Golden Hello. This one authority is a sinking ship, a colleague from my last team left to go and work there, what she found was several teams operating without managers, experienced staff leaving in their droves and NQSWs going on the sick with mental health problems within 6 months - year of being there. She stayed for six days and promptly came back to our team!!
Even though this failing authority is a good 40 miles from the authority where i live/ last worked we are slowly absorbing their staff as they would rather have a 2 hour commute than stay put despite the cash incentives.
Kirsty McGregor: Telford and Wrekin Council is offering newly qualified social workers £3,000 to join its children’s services department, as long as they agree to work there for at least two years. What do people think about this - is it a good idea?
the two year clause doesn't have much standing in law. If you take the money and then decide to leave they might threaten to take you to court to get it back but won't because of the catastrophic slating they would get for suing a social worker I am told that there is not one case in the country of a social worker having to pay back a golden hello.
Basically you can take the money and leave if the place is a shithole.
it does rather annoy me that it is only for Newly Qualified Social Workers - who end up getting paid more, and carryign less of a case load, whilst (or so is the case in our team) the experienced Social Workers get bitter, fed up, and even more over worked. I've seen that NQSW's feel unsupported by other members of their team, and it is clear in our team, that this is the cause
In some respects, I'm not even sure I agree with the NQSW Scheme. I find that all the extra training just puts off the job- in my first year of pracitce (I just missed the NQSW scheme) I learnt so much more than any amount of extra training will teach me. And with regards to the level of support that NQSWs get in terms of supervision - well, I think that should apply to all workers, whether they choose to accept such support and supervision is upto them. Our manager is brilliant and offers . Although I'm getting off track.
To me, Social Work should not be a career that is chosen for the money - as Social Workers are known for being underpaid and over-worked anyway. It should be about the job satisfaction - no matter how overworked I am, I still enjoy that.
Jenny- I dont think it is only for NQSW's and even as a student I am often still in the office when everyone else has gone home making sure I get everything done perfectly. Perhaps they need to just employ NQSW's who have a track record of working hard. Easier said than done im sure but when I qualify I want the protection of the NQSW scheme as I learn and develop but I will still put every last bit of energy into my work. :)
I would certainly be tempted. I know that my local authority offers £2500 incentive payment for NQSW's but their NQSW wage is one of the lowest in the country !! Barely worth joining them.
Oh I'm in full agreement, I don't think that anyone who doens't have a track record of working hard should be employed, whether they're newly qualified or not!
You sound very committed. Certainly as a student, and when I was newly qualified I put the same amount of tim into all my work as the more experienced Social Workers.
I just think that the protection and support offered to NQSW's should be there for everyone who needs it.
I guess I just see myself as someone with nothing better to do than work really. I know that sounds like im a really sad person but I actually just enjoy work. I spent 2 years in childrens services and then began to get worn out. But as a student I know im not there forever, but I and many other students, do work too damn hard when out on placement.... and funny how its only the workers who warn students about their mental health, the managers seem more than happy with the set-up lol.
Jenny77: Oh I'm in full agreement, I don't think that anyone who doens't have a track record of working hard should be employed, whether they're newly qualified or not! You sound very committed, and I expect that our team just has a few poor workers, who happen to be newly qualified. Certainly as a student, and when I was newly qualified I put the same amount of tim into all my work as the more experienced Social Workers. I just think that the protection and support offered to NQSW's should be there for everyone who needs it.
You sound very committed, and I expect that our team just has a few poor workers, who happen to be newly qualified. Certainly as a student, and when I was newly qualified I put the same amount of tim into all my work as the more experienced Social Workers.
This is the frustrating thing about social work. They will take anyone to do the job, and I know of people at uni who in all fairness will be horrendous and letting their attitudes out onto the public is asking for trouble. Yet no doubt they will get a golden hello, a well paid job (for a recent grad) etc. Yet better workers=better workforce. You, as a worker, must have seen some awful students, yet the scary thing is some of them will qualify and still not be any good.
I think the protection bit needs looking out, I agree some good system needs to be in place for everyone. :)
voltaire: the two year clause doesn't have much standing in law. If you take the money and then decide to leave they might threaten to take you to court to get it back but won't because of the catastrophic slating they would get for suing a social worker I am told that there is not one case in the country of a social worker having to pay back a golden hello. Basically you can take the money and leave if the place is a shithole.
I looked out of curiosity and it is not paid in one go. Basically they can deduct it from your final salary if you decide to go. Very clever.
I know of loads of LAs that offer it and from the information i was given its a final year bursary, a one off payment of between 2k and 3k that ties you for 2/3 years. I did not go for this scheme - firstly you get taxed on it anyway so its not as much and if you spread it over the 2/3 year period its not actually worth much.... not if you value being able to make your own decision about whether you like a job or not or pay back loads of money.
A colleague of mine recently left our LA for another one nearby, they offered a 6k golden hello and she was supposed to stay for 2 years. She left after 6 months because she hated how it was managed etc and she had to give 3 months notice, they took the money direct from her salary and she ended up not being paid for 3 months until she returned to our LA.
I dont see why it annoys experienced workers though as the NQSW are not getting paid more, just a one off payment??
The practice has been going on in a lot of councils. What happens if you decide to leave the council before the end of the two years?[
I personally would not take the scheme, unless I really wanted to be a social worker for 2 years in a frontline team and had had a placement there so I knew what the authority was like. A bit of a gamble just applying for them I think. Plus I know you usually have to drop your NHS bursary for the final year if you are awarded one of these. A friend of mine turned hers down because it left her only £200 better off which was useless really.
I have been warned off taking one of these, especially if you hate it, because if you are at your wits end before the two years are up, and want to leave, you have to pay back that 2/3k. Most likely you would have it spent!