Education written question – answered at on 28 February 2011.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the average number of children on the case load of a child protection social worker; and if he will estimate the change in the size of the average caseload in each of the next five years.
The Department for Education does not collect information on the caseloads of child protection social workers; this information is held by the organisations that employ them and whose responsibility it is to manage caseloads.
In its 2009 Workload Survey, the Social Work Task Force reported that the number of cases held by social workers varied considerably. Over 700 social workers and managers working in local authority children's services departments took part in this survey. 44% of the children's and families' social workers and managers who participated in the survey held 15 active cases or fewer, 23% held between 16 and 20 cases and 24% reported holding over 20 active cases. The remaining 9% of participants in the survey provided no information on the number of cases they held.
The Social Work Task Force's Workload Survey can be accessed at:
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/social%20workers%20workload%20survey.pdf
Between 2008-09 and 2009-10, referrals to Children's Services Departments have risen, as has the volume of assessments carried out by children and families' social workers. The Department for Education does not hold information on how this increase has impacted on caseloads. Further information on the volume of referrals and assessments can be found in Professor Munro's February 2011 interim report, available at:
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