Exclusive: One in nine social work posts vacant in England

One in nine social worker posts in England are vacant, according to exclusive research by Community Care.

The statistics, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show an average 10.9% vacancy rate in the 96 councils that responded to our national survey – equivalent to 8,317 unfilled posts.

The figures, collated from councils over the past two months and published for the first time here, also show a marked increase on the national vacancy rate, which has been close to 10% since 2006.

London as a whole had the highest vacancy rate at 18.6%, followed by the West Midlands at 17.8% of all posts, and in the East Midlands at 15.4%. The North East had the lowest proportion of vacant posts at 6.5%.

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Full story: 10.9% of social work posts are vacant

Figures by local authority

Adult’s services vacancy rates similar to children’s services

Latest data show a sharp rise

Feature: Staff shortages in adult’s services overlooked

Blog: The vacancy vicious circle

Have your say about vacancy rates at Carespace

Email us about the findings at: comcare.foi@rbi.co.uk