Agency Social Workers and SEND

1- I request clarification on how many locum/agency children’s social workers there are working for DCC out of a total number of employed children’s social workers and social care managers as a percentage of the children’s social care workforce. I request information on the amount of accommodation and travel expenses incurred by locum/agency social workers

We can confirm the following information:

140 Agency SW/Team Managers
298 Contracted SW/Team Managers
31.96% Of SW are Agency (March 2024)

1215 Children’s Services Employees excluding Education & Learning

11.52% Agency SW as a % of Children’s Services (Excluding E&L)

£ 675,888.00 Agency Expenses – July 2023 – March 2024 (the information is only available from July 2023)

2- I request information on the total cost of employing locum or agency children’s social workers and as a percentage of the total children’s social care spend.

We can confirm the following information:

£ 13,210,890 Agency SW Spend 23/24

£ 150,615,000.00 Children’s Social Care / Children’s Wellbeing (Budget Book 2023/24 page 50)

8.77% Agency SW cost as a % of budget

3- I want clarification on DCC’s policy on ‘growing your own social workers’ and the numbers being put through internal training as social care apprentices.

We can confirm that we have 5 x social work apprentices an will be looking at bidding for more funding for additional apprentices in 2025.
We train via PGdip and BA Open University routes 7  internal members of staff per year.

4- I request contemporaneous information on the turnover of children’s social care workers over the last 5-years as a per annum figure.

Please se the following table:

5- I request an update on SEND worker turnover and caseloads per individual worker.

With respect to worker turnover, we can confirm that there have been 13 leavers with an average headcount of 117, so turnover is 11.1%.

In relation to caseloads, the specific caseload for each worker is their personal information and is exempt from disclosure under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Personal Data).  The Council cannot disclose personal information if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the Data Protection Act 2018. In this instance release of this information would contravene the first data protection principle and therefore the information is withheld.

We can confirm that the average caseload per worker is 30.

6- I request an update on the number of Education and Health Care plans completed out of a total number of SEND children (additional and complex needs) per annum, so within a 12-monthly period.

For the academic year 23/24 – 489 plans have been issued
As of 20th March 2024 there are 17,980 pupils with SEN support (the majority of which do not require a plan)

7- I request the number of SEND places available in mainstream education and also the number of specialist SEND schools with vacancy rates and the number of SEND children on the waiting list for specialist education provision.

Please see the tables below:

 

Resources Bases attached to mainstream schools:

Maintained Special Schools:

With regard to the request for the number of SEND children on the waiting list for specialist education provision – we do not hold waiting lists. The consultation process is not static and new consults are sent daily so pupils are prioritised based on need if/when a places becomes available.