Tue, 8 Jul 2014The Royal Borough of Berkshire has given itself until September to increase its number of permanent social workers and reduce its reliance on agency staff, according to Berkshire.co.uk.

A report presented to the borough last week said the continued use of agency staff for children in care and practice improvements “continues to put pressure on staffing budget”.

“If permanent staff are not appointed by September 2014, the number of agency social workers will be reduced following a risk assessment on holding those posts vacant,” added the report.

There are 22 temporary qualified social workers working for the borough’s Children’s Services as at the end of the 2013/14 financial year, said the website.

• In Recruiter’s Managing Agency Workers supplement, there is a feature on how recruiters and social work departments across the UK are coping with the challenges of finding experienced social workers and attracting people into the profession. Make sure you get your copy with Recruiter’s July issue, out next week.

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