Vulnerable children are going without vital support because there are not enough social workers or appropriate homes to meet their needs, a regulator has warned. Problems in recruiting and keeping staff is the “greatest challenge” facing children’s social care in England, Ofsted said.
Many residential care workers have “reassessed their priorities” and work-life balance during the coronavirus pandemic and have left the sector, it said, while a “large number” of social workers are quitting demanding jobs for better-paid, more flexible agency positions or for roles in other sectors. Providers are also struggling to recruit children’s home managers, with 17% of homes without a manager as of March 2022 – up from 9% in March 2019.
Staffing challenges mean children lack stability or are being placed in homes where their needs are not being met, and in some cases are being placed in unregistered homes, the regulator said. Some providers have been forced to reduce capacity, and some homes run by the largest providers are empty or closing temporarily, Ofsted added.
