Aspect has welcomed the inclusion in the Final Report of a section on pay which we reproduce in full below and which means that:
- The new careers structure set out in the report will require job descriptions which reflect levels of skill, responsibility and role.
- The current job evaluation of basic grade social workers should be reviewed
- The steps should be done “swiftly” within the current national pay agreement
- Should this not happen swiftly then consideration should be given to a new national pay structure for social workers
Roger Kline told Community Care that Aspect’s evidence to the Task Force on pay recommended what the final sentence of this section says “not least because in our view the current two main job evaluation schemes in use are fundamentally not fit for the grading of social workers”.
What the Final Report says
3.29 Social worker pay has been raised in a number of ways with the Task Force, and the concerns we have heard were summarised in our interim report.
3.30 Pay for new social workers is comparable to other professions. However, there is evidence that a clearer career structure, with opportunities to progress to greater responsibility and higher pay, while continuing to work on the front line, will help recruitment, promote retention, and ultimately improve the quality of frontline services.
3.31 The Task Force has also seen evidence that suggests social workers have done badly in the job evaluation exercises carried out in some local authorities, which underrated their knowledge and skills. This has led to them being paid less than other professionals with comparable expertise and knowledge.
3.32 We believe these issues need to be resolved by setting out clearly defined levels of skill, responsibility and role, which can be reflected in local authority grading structures in order to deliver pay progression. This would provide agreed and nationally recognised career progression, while leaving to local arrangements the structure and size of individual teams.
3.33 We also recommend that, as part of the standard for employers (see Chapter 2), employers should review their job evaluation of basic grade social workers to ensure that their knowledge and skills are being fairly rewarded. We are making recommendations founded on the current national agreement on local government pay, as both employers and unions have told us they are willing to act swiftly to make significant change a reality.
However, if this turns out not be the case, we believe that the government shouldconsider whether a national pay body is needed to ensure social workers are fairlyrewarded.
