Falkirk social workers 'can't afford' to keep working, as council struggles to retain staff

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A chronic shortage of social workers and occupational therapists nationally is impacting on Falkirk residents, who can wait months for support, councillors have heard.Members of Falkirk Council's education committee were told today (Tuesday) that Falkirk is losing experienced staff to other authorities as they "cannot afford to stay".Social work chiefs told councillors that they have now launched a new recruitment strategy and staffing structure with incentives that they hope will encourage more people to come to Falkirk and, more importantly, stay working here. Read more: Falkirk plans to reduce school bus services will now be delayed for months Falkirk offers the lowest top hourly rate in the country, members heard, which meant that it has been very difficult to keep experienced staff.Over the past year, the cost of living crisis has made a difficult situation worse as transport costs for staff getting to work have substantially increased, as fuel prices soar.As a result, many fully qualified staff have now opted to work closer to where they live.The report to councillors stated: "We also have staff tell us they are leaving to go elsewhere because they will be paid much more and cannot afford not stay with us."Nationally, the average starting salary is £38,344.

Falkirk Council’s starting salary is £36,994, a difference of £1,400.The national average top of point of salary offered is £42,257 compared to Falkirk Council which is £40,243, a difference of £2,014.The report makes clear that while there is an issue across Scotland, the turnover rate is higher in Falkirk than other areas and the lack of experience is having an impact on people needing social work intervention.Across services, the number of unallocated cases