Options for Excellence sets out goals

The government’s Options for Excellence review was launched last week, and contains both short-term goals and long-term
aspirations.

Its key themes are promoting continuing professional development, improving recruitment and retention, boosting leadership, management and commissioning skills and adapting the workforce to change.

With the comprehensive spending review due next year, it gave no specific funding commitments, but promised research into the links between pay and recruitment, retention and service outcomes. It floats as an option “newly qualified social worker status” to give staff in their first year extra support.