Social Work Sector

Britain's demand for social work continues to grow steadily, with no signs of abating. The socioeconomic situation has made finding suitable professionals very challenging. However, there is a pressing need for recruiters who can identify and attract the most qualified individuals capable of excelling in this field. Leveraging its extensive expertise in effective hiring practices, APSCo stands ready to assist you in accessing a diverse talent pool and connecting with the best-suited candidates.

• A positive culture within the sector group to support open discussion, and facilitate an environment where members can build networks for the purpose of collaboration

• Sector group meetings and events giving your senior leadership team an important opportunity to network and discuss key topics and issues

• The opportunity to be accredited to Compliance+, an uncompromising quality standard for social work recruitment companies

• Support and guidance for compliance managers, through specific meetings, events and legal resources

• Targeted market research and data for the social work recruitment sector

• Active advocacy within Government and other stakeholders to help shape the future of the sector. Read our latest political engagement.

Compliance+ Social Work is the best practice quality standard for recruitment businesses and compels members to go beyond statutory safeguarding standards and aim for excellence in competency, selection and service quality. 

APSCo has constructed this standard with the various frameworks in mind, to bring some consistency to compliance requirements, whilst putting the safeguarding of vulnerable people first, through adherence to the highest service criteria.

Find out more here.

We hold regular social work sector meetings. You can find an example agenda from one of the meetings below:

APSCo Social Work Sector Meeting

Our Social Work Sector Chair will lead a panel discussion looking at some of the key issues members are facing at the moment, particularly around rising pay rates, the flow of social workers from perm roles into locum jobs (due to the increasing pay rates) and the use of remote working by LAs to decrease the backlog of work.

Panellists:
- Mark Evans, Workforce Lead for the South East Sector Led Improvement Programme
- Merlin Joseph, Strategic Workforce Lead for London Innovation & Improvement Alliance
- Rula Tripolitaki, Programme Manager and Workforce Lead for the London Sector Led Improvement Programme
- Suzanne Hudson, Senior Advisor (Workforce Strategy)

We will be discussing some of the key issues members are facing at the moment, particularly around rising pay rates, the flow of social workers from perm roles into locum jobs (due to the increasing pay rates) and the use of remote working by LAs to decrease the backlog of work.

Our panel will be followed by Keith Rosser, Director of Group Risk & Reed Screening, who will give an update on actions within the Government regarding compliance issues, including Digital Right to Work checks.

APSCo has partnered with Trusted Partners to produce social work sector reports free to APSCo members. These reports are based on a wide-ranging analysis of the recruitment sector. Find our latest sector research here.

Our team of legal experts provides a range of support to our Social work members, helping them navigate the complex and ever-changing compliance requirements of recruitment. As a member, staffing firms can access:

• APSCo helpdesks where you will be able to speak to experts in legal, immigration, accountancy and international
• A member risk assessment to independently review your compliance needs and risks
• Downloadable compliance toolkits
• Contract review services through our Trusted Partners
• Legal FAQs
• Model Contracts, Policies and Documents
• IR35 and GDPR guidance and toolkits

We are the single destination for advice, guidance and support across the Social Work recruitment sector. Our knowledge of the global professional recruitment market means we have the insight and experience to know what challenges recruiters are facing and how they can be better supported.

 By joining other, like-minded recruiters, your business will benefit from:

• A sector-specific and broader recruitment events schedule
• Training and development options that are tailored for every function in your recruitment firm
• Global market intelligence and research
• Expert advice on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) through the APSCo Embrace hub
• Access to a range of Trusted Partners – all fully vetted by APSCo
• Access to a range of Advisors via AdvisorLink
• A recognised and trusted badge of quality as an APSCo recruitment member

APSCo produces regular reports and research. Members can access all of this content here.

We also hold regular events on a variety of industry topics. Details of all our events can be found here.

Our virtual meetings are recorded and members can download this resource from our On Demand.