Wakefield: Agencies poaching social workers, council told

Wakefield Council's children's services were rated "inadequate" in 2018 but have since been completely transformed, Ofsted said

"Immoral" agencies have left a West Yorkshire council struggling to recruit enough social workers, it was claimed.

Wakefield Council heard many social workers nationally were being "poached" from councils to work for more pay at agencies.

A meeting was told the authority employed 15 fewer social workers than it had a year ago.

Cheryl Whitehouse, acting service director, said it was a national issue and not one confined to Wakefield.

Councillor David Jones, chair of Wakefield Council's Children and Young People Overview Committee, said staff were being poached by agencies who then sold their services back to the local authority.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Mr Jones had described the practice as "morally wrong" as it threatened to destabilise the hard work being done to protect vulnerable children.

Vicky Schofield, Wakefield's director for children and young people, said: "We'd really encourage people to choose to become a permanent part of our team."

Ms Whitehouse said: "We know there are project teams outside of the Inland Revenue regulations and social workers can get considerable tax benefits as a result of going to their teams.

"It is more financially beneficial for them and given the cost-of-living crisis they are choosing to go to agencies."

She said the service had put together a "recruitment and retention workforce strategy" which included increasing social work pay grades.

'Morally wrong'

A spokesperson for the authority said a programme of social worker apprenticeships had also begun which saw the council working with universities as part of a recruitment drive to relieve pressure on its children's services department.

In 2018 Wakefield's children's services department was put in special measures after being given an "inadequate" Ofsted rating.

It has since been completely transformed, according to Ofsted.

Mr Jones said: "The service has done so much to try to really work at this in order to retain staff.

"It is disgraceful that these sorts of things are happening and the structure outside of this authority allows these things to happen.

"They come in and take these staff away and then sell them back to us - it is morally wrong."