An investigation by The Guardian found that 129 out of 152 local councils across England spent a total of £335 million in 2017/18 hiring agency social workers. This represented a slight fall from £360 million in 2016/17, which in turn had risen from £342 million in 2015/16.

The Guardian cited government data from the Department of Education, for its investigation.

The biggest spender in 2017/18 was Northamptonshire, which declared itself effectively bankrupt in February last year. It spent £12 million, which represented a drop from £18.4 million the previous year. A council spokesperson said reliance on agency staff was an issue faced by nearly all local authorities across the country, and that it had managed to reduce its use of agency workers by 23% since 2017.

Data from the Department of Education found that as of September 2018, 26 local authorities received more than 30% of their children’s social work staff from agencies. The data looked at the children and family social work workforce in England. It showed that the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) agency workers as of 30 September 2018 was 5,360, similar to the previous year (5,340).

In Swindon, nearly half, or approximately 47.5%, of the council’s children’s social workers were employed through an agency, as were 46.5% of Croydon’s.

At the same time, there were 5,810 children’s social worker vacancies in England in September last year, with rates ranging from 6% in Yorkshire and Humber to 26% in London. 78% of children and family social workers working for local authorities in September last year were covering vacancies.

According to Ray Jones, a former director of children’s services and an emeritus professor at Kingston University, working conditions for social workers have deteriorated, with bigger caseloads, less support and inadequate pay, which made locum work more attractive.

The Guardian stated that in response to the increasing use of agency social workers, local authorities across the UK have worked together to cap the amount they pay.

Other methods planned to reduce reliance on agency workers include setting up an academy for aspiring social workers, as reported by The Wakefield Express. The Wakefield Council said an influx of newly qualified social workers could help ease its reliance on agency social workers. Wakefield children's services was spending approximately £2 million on non-permanent workers to fill gaps in the understaffed department.

Lambeth council said it was developing opportunities for career progression and focusing on workforce wellbeing in an effort to reduce its use of agency social workers. Croydon said it had recently recruited an extra 36 social workers to reduce caseloads, giving social workers more time with children and families and boosting morale.

A report by Community Care showed that the earnings gap between agency social workers and permanent staff is tightening, with caps on agency worker rates having an impact on their earnings.

Nadhim Zahawi, MP and Children and Families Minister, said that agency staff can play a “vital role in managing short-term recruitment needs, fluctuations in demand or to support improvement.”

“We are supporting the recruitment and training of social workers so they have the skills they need for this important job,” Zahawi told The Guardian.“There are more full-time equivalent social workers than ever before, which means there are more dedicated people on the frontline to offer much needed support to some of most vulnerable children and families in the country,” Zahawi said.