Numbers of social work students up by one fifth

The number of people on social work courses in England increased by nearly a fifth from 2000 to 2004, according to new research.

There was also a three per cent rise in the number of social workers employed in England from 2004 to 2005, the figures from the General Social Care Council and the Adult, Children and Young People Local Authority Social Care Workforce Survey show.

The figures were published by the Department of Health  to mark the start of its annual social work recruitment campaign

David Behan the DH’s director general of social care, attributed the rise in social work students to a trend towards choosing “ethical” careers.

“People are increasingly interested in jobs that enable them to put something back into society. We hope the recruitment campaign will tap into that spirit,” he said.

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