Warning over social worker shortage

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The staffing shortfall is a third or more in at least seven local authorities, figures obtained through freedom of information requests show.

These include Haringey Council in north London, which was criticised for failing to prevent the death of 17-month-old Baby P at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend in August 2007.

Local authorities in the capital and other big cities like Birmingham and Manchester are worst hit by the difficulties in hiring social workers, the survey suggests.

Tory children's spokesman Tim Loughton spoke of a "real crisis" in the profession and warned there could be other Baby Ps if the situation did not change.

He is calling for the image and status of social workers to be improved with a "massive" recruitment and PR campaign, as well as the appointment of a new Chief Social Worker to speak up for the profession nationally. Mr Loughton also said that red tape should be cut to allow care staff to spend more time with vulnerable families and children and less time filling out forms.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The situation has been getting worse over the last few years. The trouble is it has taken horrendous tragedies like Baby P and other cases in Doncaster and elsewhere to flag up the fact that there is a real crisis in the social work profession.

"I am afraid social workers are very easily panned in the media, but really if we are to be serious about child protection, then social workers need to be seen as part of the solution, not being panned as part of the problem."

He added: "It's not an easy job and a lot of people wouldn't like to deal with these very dysfunctional families in very depressing circumstances, but it is a job that has got to be done. There are a lot of children on the child protection register in this country. There are a lot of families simply not capable of looking after their own children and they need to be watched. Otherwise we get more Baby Ps."

Mr Loughton will raise the issue in a Parliamentary debate later on Tuesday.