Ask most social workers what attracted them to their career and it's unlikely that they'll mention the comprehensive benefits package the sector is known for. But things may be changing.
Over the past year, Cafcass has been expanding the benefits available to all employees well beyond what is the norm in the public sector; introducing packages for health and wellbeing, learning and career development opportunities, as well as the latest technology to enable flexible working.
Daryl Maitland, senior HR business partner, explains what led to these initiatives, which have enhanced the day-to-day experience of those working for Cafcass: "We examined our reward package and asked our staff what was important to them. We discovered that whilst we were already offering a competitive salary, pension, and leave entitlements, we could do more to enhance the total employment proposition.
"With the critical and emotionally demanding work that our social workers do each day, it is vitally important that our staff feel positive about every aspect of working for Cafcass – not just their salary."
He adds: "While a desire to help people will always remain the primary motivation for joining the sector, there is an understanding among social care employers that it is important to enable and support practitioners in what is a demanding role, and retain a skilled workforce and that is why we have turned our eye to benefits that support the health and wellbeing of our staff. We have worked hard in the past 12 months to implement a wide range of schemes to enhance the overall experience of working for Cafcass. We believe we now have a sector-leading total employment proposition."
An expansion of benefits
Cafcass already had a local government pension scheme and a competitive salary. This was complemented by an excellent leave entitlements allowance and childcare vouchers. Despite this, the package offered limited flexibility.
"What we wanted from our reward strategy was a wide range of benefits staff could choose from, to ensure each individual could tailor their package to best met their wants and needs," says Daryl.
"We have a varied demographic working at Cafcass; we needed to ensure that everyone could access the specific benefits they needed."
Cafcass also wanted an approach that was in line with its 'high trust' model, to avoid managers having to spend unnecessary time on approval processes outside of supervision.
After a tender process, Cafcass secured a health and wellbeing plan through Medicash, providing access to a range of treatments, including dental and optical care, annual health screenings, therapies such as sports massage, osteopathy and physiotherapy, and more. This can be upgraded to include cover for partners and/or any children staff are responsible for.
Steve Gowland, office manager in Newcastle, commenting on how the plan has benefitted his teams, says: "It's definitely had a positive impact here. The long-standing health issues that people perhaps don't prioritise are being addressed … it's been a real positive for them."
Critically for Cafcass, all employees have access to a new employee assistance programme, providing independent and completely confidential telephone advice and support, which includes up to six face-to-face counselling sessions or cognitive behavioural therapy sessions.
In addition to the health plan, Cafcass has looked to other benefits we could secure from a corporate membership.
"We wanted our staff to get more from their money, and we worked at introducing a range of national and local discounts," says Daryl.
Staff can access a Cycle to Work scheme to save between 32% and 42% on the costs of a bike and accessories. Other offers include annual membership to Tastecard, monthly reductions on Vodafone contracts, discounted rates at the Hilton, and many other savings at supermarkets, high street retailers and online stores.
"Throughout all of this, we have continually listened to the employee voice: it was on the recommendation of a member of staff that the Vodafone discount was implemented. We wanted to introduce the benefits staff wanted, and that we were meeting the wants and needs of our workforce however and wherever possible." says Daryl.
By redistributing and consolidating existing wellbeing-related expenditure to a single provider, Cafcass has achieved the benefits package with no additional spend. Cafcass plans to continue to enhance its total reward experience for staff, ensuring that they are effectively adapting to external and internal pressures, and continually meeting the wants and needs of their staff to help them develop to their full potential.
Daryl adds: "We are going to maintain our focus on the individual, ensuring every employee, no matter their individual circumstances, feels positive about every aspect of working at Cafcass. We will be building on not just our rewards system but our engagement and wellbeing strategies, to ensure we remain an employer of choice for the most talented social workers, and that the 'Cafcass experience' is an enjoyable and supportive one for every member of staff."
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