Cafcass has a social worker vacancy rate that would be the envy of any local authority in the country. An average of 15% of children and family posts in councils are vacant – up to 22% in some London boroughs – and local authorities are struggling to fill them. At the same time reliance on expensive agency staff is rising, with three-quarters of them being taken on to fill vacant posts, according to Department for Education figures.
In contrast, Cafcass (the organisation that represents children in family court cases) has a vacancy rate of just 2.53%, and in the last four years it has slashed the number of agency staff it employs from 464 to 107. So what lessons can local authorities learn from Cafcass, and what is the secret of its recruitment and retention success?
For Marie Henderson, an experienced social worker with a background in local authority services who joined Cafcass as a family court adviser four years ago, the answer is simple: “Although I am an employee I feel the most close to being my own boss as it’s possible to be. I have been given all the tools to work flexibly and I work mostly from home, in fact I could work from anywhere, which is a big lifestyle difference. Working flexibly also means I get so much more time as I am not distracted by the office and I feel I am getting the job done. It’s sustainable.” Employees can be given delegated authority after three consecutive assessments that they are meeting expectations in relevant types of work – such as safeguarding letters and case files. But there is still management oversight, as managers quality assure examples of work each month.
Henderson’s colleague Stephen Boylan, a career changer who joined Cafcass in February, says it is the training and development support and opportunities – Cafcass staff have access to the organisation’s in-house schemes as well as training in collaboration with local authorities – and the focus on self-directed professional supervision which have made all the difference. “I am in a very supportive environment and the supervision I have now, compared to local authority, is much more focused on yourself – you identify your own objectives. It’s a much more personal experience,” says Boylan.
Cafcass’ approach to recruitment and retention is part of its larger workforce strategy. It was driven by its need to compete for experienced social workers in an increasingly competitive market, while delivering quality children’s services in a context of increased demand and less money. “If you are trying to attract the best you can’t just compete on salary – the whole package has to be attractive,” says senior HR manager James Hyde.
The package on offer today includes a commitment to employee health and wellbeing, a reduction in bureaucracy and a move towards paperless working and e-learning and the ability to work remotely: “Flexible working has been the key to achieving a good work life balance – most of our staff have found it very liberating,” says Shabana Abasi, Cafcass’ senior head of service.
“But I think what it has also done is to create a very high trust model with our staff. We are saying to them that we value your expertise and knowledge to self-regulate and be self-efficient and [in return] the staff are committed. We demand and expect the best practice – and you can’t say that without giving something back. For us that extends beyond supporting their learning and development – it also means creating an engaged and healthy workforce.”
Understanding what motivates the staff you are trying to attract is also key, Hyde says: “I think we do know what stress is and what causes social workers anxiety and we address that – make it paperless, reduce bureaucracy, provide a high level of trust. That creates a mutual understanding that quality practice is rewarded with a high level of trust which then becomes self-perpetuating.”
Introducing an e-recruitment system has also been instrumental in attracting high quality social workers who match the professional profile Cafcass seeks. “The recruitment process isn’t just about filling a gap – it’s about making sure we get the right person coming through the front door,” says Abasi.
Cafcass wants professionals who deliver high standards of good practice, are children-centred and have the ability to work under pressure. It runs an online assessment centre where applicants who have got past the first recruitment hurdles are presented with real-life scenarios. This reveals how the candidate uses evidence in practice. “It may seem strange to say that we recruit for the job, but some organisations presented with a half-decent candidate will make the appointment because they are struggling,” says Hyde.
The organisation’s workforce strategy is creating a stable social worker workforce, while councils in England in 2014 reported an average turnover of 17%. In the last three years social worker turnover at Cafcass has fallen by 25% and both Henderson and Boylan say they have no plans to leave. Says Boylan: “This is where I see my career.” And Henderson adds: “When I go back and talk to my former colleagues they are still talking about ‘the struggle’ and ‘being in a war’. I feel at the moment that I am in some sane corner of social work. If you are doing good work and are performing well – which Ofsted says we are – why would you want to leave?”
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