Recruitment and retention of adult and children's social workers - Find a freedom of information request

Relates to the recruitment and retention of adult and children's social workers employed by the council.

Specifically, I request information for financial years 2009-2010 through 2023-2024, 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

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/2014

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

2019/2020

2020/2021

2021/2022

2022/2023

2023/2024

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.

Please note, Lincolnshire County Council do not hold the information from 2009/2010 to 2019/2020. The information that is held has been listed below.

*Year*	*Social Worker turnover rate*	*Social Worker Agency [locum] Rate*	*Social Worker Vacancy Rate*	*Social Worker sickness rate*	*Unfilled Vacancies*	*No. long term sick*	*Days lost*
2020/2021	Children's 11.0% Adults 6.2% combined 9.5%	Children's 16.3% Adults 13.8% Combined 15.6%	Information Not Held	Children's 4.42 Adults 8.58 Combined 5.67		Children's 20 Adults 16 Combined 36	Children's 1377.36 Adults 1150.51 Combined 2527.87
2021/2022	Children's 17.3% Adults 11.7% Combined 15.6%	Children's 24.7% Adults 15.4% Combined 21.9%	Children's 13.68%	Children's 11.12 Adults 14.05 Combined 11.98	Children's 55	Children's 50 Adults 32 Combined 82	Children's 3370.92 Adults 1775.61 Combined 5146.53
2022/2023	Children's 11.8% Adults 14.9% Combined 12.8%	Children's 28.% Adults 18.5% Combined 25.6%	Children's 9.85%	Children's 8.52 Adults 10.52 Combined 9.15	Children's 39	Children's 59 Adults 30 Combined 89	Children's 2499.88 Adults 1415.20 Combined 3915.08
2023/2024	Children's 9.2% Adults 11.7% Combined 10.0%	Children's 29.1% Adults 22.0% Combined 26.9%	Children's 9.57%	Children's 5.24 Adults 9.52 Combined 6.52	Children's 42	Children's 42 Adults 42 Combined 84	Children's 1655.62 Adults 1284.10 Combined 2939.72

Please note, LCC do not use the method requested for calculating sickness data – it uses Days Lost per FTE. Children’s Vacancies and Vacancy Rates have been provided as at the end of each financial year.

11807385

5 March 2025

2 April 2025