Please could you provide the following information to your local authority.
1. Unqualified social work support roles
a. Please provide the number of staff currently employed by the council unqualified roles that support statutory social work or social care teams.
For the purpose of this request, I am referring to roles that do not require postholder to be a registered social worker, but which support social social care activity.
This may include, but is not limited to, roles such as:
• Social Work Assistant
• Family Support Worker
• Social Care Assistant
• Social Care Practitioner
• Community Support Worker
• Early Help Worker
• Contact / Supervised Contact Worker
• Assessment Support Worker
• Social Work Support Officer
• Children’s Services Support Worker
• Adult Social Care Support Worker
• Personal Advisor / Leaving Care Support Worker, where not required
qualified social worker
2. Please provide the number of staff in these roles by:
a. job title
b. service area, for example, Children’s Services, Adult Social Care, Help, Leaving Care, SEND, Mental Health, Learning Disability, Hospital Discharge, etc.
c. headcount
d. full-time equivalent, if available
e. permanent or agency worker
If it is not possible to provide the information by service area, please provide
number across the council.
In response to questions 1 and 2, please refer to this spreadsheet.
3. Social work apprenticeships
Please provide the information for the following financial years:
2022/23
For each of the last three financial years, please provide:
a. the number of apprenticeships started by the council in total – 126
b. the number of apprenticeships started in social care/children’s services/adult social care – 30
c. the number of apprenticeships started that lead to a recognised social work qualification – 7
d. the name of the apprenticeship standard or qualification used, for example, Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship – Level 6 Social Worker
e. the number of staff who completed a social work qualification through an apprenticeship route – 0
f. the number of staff currently undertaking a social work qualification through an apprenticeship route – 9
2023/24
a. the number of apprenticeships started by the council in total – 105
b. the number of apprenticeships started in social care/children’s services/adult social care – 35
c. the number of apprenticeships started that lead to a recognised social work qualification – 4
d. the name of the apprenticeship standard or qualification used, for example, Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship – Level 6 Social Worker
e. the number of staff who completed a social work qualification through an apprenticeship route – 0
f. the number of staff currently undertaking a social work qualification through an apprenticeship route – 13
2024/25
a. the number of apprenticeships started by the council in total – 105
b. the number of apprenticeships started in social care/children’s services/adult social care – 31
c. the number of apprenticeships started that lead to a recognised social work qualification – 2
d. the name of the apprenticeship standard or qualification used, for example, Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship – Level 6 Social Worker
e. the number of staff who completed a social work qualification through an apprenticeship route – 1
f. the number of staff currently undertaking a social work qualification through an apprenticeship route – 14
4. Future plans
a. Please confirm whether the council plans to recruit or support any new work degree apprentices in 2025/26.
b. If yes, please provide the expected number.
In response to questions 4a and 4b, Adults appointed 2 Social Work apprentices in September 2025, and Childrens Social Workers are appointing 5 in September 2026.