Education and social services union, Aspect, has called on the Social Work Taskforce to recommend an early review of social worker pay as a crucial part of its final report.

Aspect’s evidence http://www.aspect.org.uk/files/1851 was submitted earlier this month, and includes an analysis of both the levels of pay and the job evaluation schemes that local authorities rely on when grading social workers.

Aspect’s General Secretary John Chowcat says

“It is obvious that many social workers are significantly underpaid. The current arrangements depend on a legion of local supplements on a scale which confirms something fundamental is wrong. Our analysis of the two main job evaluation schemes in use in local government suggests that they are a major cause of the underpayment of social workers, as they understate their skills and responsibilities.”

Aspect’s analysis compares the two main job evaluation schemes in use in local government with the job evaluation scheme developed nationally in the NHS. John Chowcat says

“It is clear that the two main local government schemes do social workers no favours and significantly understate their skills and responsibilities. Until we have a national framework for pay that replaces the myriad of local supplements with a fair pay structure which addresses social workers specific skills and responsibilities, pay will continue to be too low and threatens to undermine other initiatives to improve recruitment, retention and morale.”

“Our evidence calls on the Social Work Taskforce to recommend an early review so that improvements to the pay of social workers can be made in ways that are sustainable and permanent. We know it will cost money to implement but that is part of the price of tackling the current crisis in social work.”