A delegated decision to increase pay for those working with young people on the Isle of Wight, hopes to boost recruitment numbers.
In line with counterparts
The decision by the IW council should mean that social workers will finally be on the same pay levels as their counterparts across the rest of the southern region with salaries being increased by as much as £3,000 in some cases.
But it’s not just social workers who will see their salary increase, senior practitioners, deputy team managers and team managers will all see their basic salaries increase too, bringing them in line with the Mainland.
Making social work careers more appealing
Colin Peak, Isle of Wight Council Director of Children and Young People, hoped the move would make child social work a more appealing career choice.
He said “It is no secret that Isle of Wight Council, in common with other areas, has a shortage of children’s social workers which impacts on the teams we do employ. Because of the vital role played by children’s social workers, the alternative is to employ agency staff to cover shortages.
“From the feedback we receive, the main message we get is that because our wages are lower compared to the mainland, they’ll simply go across the Solent to do the same job but earn more.
“By bringing our salary levels in line with the south region, we hope we can now offer competitive positions to potential new social workers and boost our social work teams up to the levels they should be.
“It will also save the council money in the long run, because we won’t need to employ agency staff to cover shortages, and agency staff can be very expensive”
