Earlier this week the civic offices played host to a recruitment fair with a difference. Rather than enticing external candidates to apply for vacant roles within the council, we were encouraging existing temporary employees to become permanent members of staff.

The recruitment event was aimed at addressing our over-reliance on agency social workers. It is not an issue unique to Swindon. Local authorities across the south west are often competing against each other to recruit experienced social workers. This results in a high turnover of staff, meaning that vulnerable children and families can often see different social workers, which can affect the continuity of support and be unsettling for all concerned.

Paying for agency staff also costs the council more. Using agency social workers last year cost an additional £2.675m so it is vital we get that figure down so we can spend what budget we do have on providing the best support for those that need it.

At the moment, 88 (58 per cent) of our social workers are agency staff and a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes led by our corporate director of children’s services, David Haley, and his team, to reduce that number.

Part of this involves improving the offer to permanent staff and this doesn’t just revolve around money. Significant investment has been made in children’s services over the last couple of years to ensure we have the right management and staff in place. This has resulted in fewer caseloads and a better working environment. More importantly, it also ensures we provide the best outcomes for children.

We have also introduced a social worker training academy because we recognise the importance of investing in our staff.

On Monday, 68 of our agency social workers attended the recruitment fair and they heard from the council’s chief executive Susie Kemp and David on how the council is determined to bring about sustained improvement in children’s services, as well as finding out about all the benefits associated with becoming a permanent member of staff.

It was an extremely successful event and we hope to welcome more of our agency staff into the permanent fold. One of our social workers who is currently going through the process of becoming a permanent member of staff exclaimed: “I’ve been really impressed with Swindon and its attitude to social work, it’s like they’ve ‘reclaimed’ social work here.”

Another said: “I’ve always worked with looked-after children and I like the different way of working we have here in Swindon.”

There has never been a better time to build a career in children's social care here in Swindon. We still have a long way to go in the improvement journey within children’s services, but from the quotes above and the work that has already taken place within the department, the signs are most certainly positive.