FI15619

Request

This Freedom of Information request relates to the recruitment and retention of social workers employed by the council. Specifically, I request information for financial years 2009-10 through 2023-24, relating to each of the following:

1. Social work staff turnover rate (i.e., number of social work staff who left the local authority / total number of social work staff).

2. Social work agency [locum] rate (i.e., number of social work positions occupied by locum staff / total number of social work positions).

3. Social work vacancy rate (i.e., number of unfilled social work vacancies / total number of social work positions).

4. Social work staff sickness rate (i.e., the total number of days lost to sickness amongst social work staff / the total number of available working days)

I am happy for this data to be calculated and provided on an annual basis as follows: Year SW turnover rate SW agency [locum] rate SW vacancy rate SW sickness rate 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Furthermore, please provide data on the total number of:

1. Unfilled social work vacancies for each of the requested financial years.

2. Staff on long terms sickness (i.e., away from work for a period that, on any single occasion, lasts longer than four consecutive weeks) for each of the requested financial years.

3. Number of days lost to sickness for social work staff for each of the requested financial years.

Response

Dover District Council does not hold the information you are seeking. The social care authority within our District is Kent County Council, who should be able to assist you and can be contacted at the following address: freedomofinformation@kent.gov.uk.