Halton Borough Council’s case study tells of the challenges in recruitment that the council has experienced, leading to gaps in provision and increased agency spend. To tackle this, Halton developed their social work career progression offer and carried out a job evaluation. A strong student offer in collaboration with local universities has fostered the development of the local workforce. As a result, unqualified social workers have seen their pay increase, apprenticeship programmes have been expanded, and the majority of qualified council adult social care staff members have come through Halton’s ‘grow your own’ pathway.
Challenges in recruitment and retention in adult social care are widespread across the UK. The Care Act sets out responsibilities for shaping local care markets, and CIPFA’s Managing rising demand in adult and children’s social care (2024) observed that one of the key ways that councils are working to meet increasing requests for care and support is through taking action to develop the local social care workforce.
The challenge
Historically, recruitment and retention in adult social care, social work and occupational therapy posts has been good in Halton Borough Council. However, over recent years, we have started to see challenges with recruitment, resulting in gaps in service provision and increased use of agency staff. Between 2023/24 and 2024/25, expenditure on agency staff increased by over 50% from £760,000 to £1.2m.
In addition, we have seen a pay gap developing, not only regionally but within the local authority across adults and children.
Other challenges include the bridge toll for the Mersey Gateway, which acts as a disincentive to recruitment, as prospective employees would have to pay those toll costs.
There are longstanding difficulties around the recruitment of approved mental health professionals (AMHPs) in Halton, which is exacerbated by higher rates of pay across the Liverpool/Mersey region.
The action
Halton has a strong workforce of people who want to work in their local area and have pride in working for Halton Borough Council. To ensure we retain that commitment to the council, we have invested in social work progression, allowing staff to further progress in their careers.
We work alongside our colleagues in Human Resources to support a job evaluation process. There is now a plan for the rest of the workforce to go through the job evaluation process to secure a long-term better pay offer.
Market supplements are now in place to support immediate recruitment and long-term retention.
We have a strong student offer, engaging with Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Hope University and Chester University. Each social work team endeavours to take an external student placement. Where we have identified a first-year student who has had a positive impact, we will offer them a part-time position until they qualify and then extend this to a full-time position.
In 2025, Halton successfully partnered up with the national Think Ahead programme and Mersey Care to offer the opportunity for graduates to experience both community and secure mental health services while fast-tracking to a social work master’s degree. This will benefit Halton’s workforce plans by providing the opportunity to recruit from the participants and has presented development opportunities for current social workers to experience the role of consultant social worker and complete practice educator training.
Staff who are interested in becoming an AMHP are on the pre-AMHP and AMHP training at Chester University.
We have a strong Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme, which links with the wider Merseyside training partnership and has had a successful peer review by Skills for Care.
The best interest assessor training is a natural progression for staff who have completed their ASYE and is open to all social workers. This is via Chester University. Staff are supported to enrol on the practice educator training, which supports the ‘grow your own’ model and are paid an additional one-off payment for each student they support.
The outcome
The job evaluation process has seen unqualified social workers move up from grade 6 to grade 7.
We have seven staff presently on the social work/occupational therapist apprenticeship scheme and one master’s student through the University of Chester, University of Huddersfield and University of Lancashire. In 2025, we have funding agreed for a further eight placements. This is supported by a dedicated practice educator and a social work development officer.
We have forged a positive working relationship with the Cheshire and Merseyside Social Work Teaching Partnership (CMSWTP) and the social work degree apprenticeship programme has expanded.
65% of qualified staff working for Halton have come through the ‘grow your own’ approach.
Reflection
Our relationship with further education institute providers has been strengthened and a presentation on social work as a career choice has taken place, with more to follow. This work has strengthened the pipeline of social work training, development and recruitment in Halton.
Regular monthly support sessions have been set up for newly qualified social workers (NQSWs).
The continued professional development (CPD) of social workers has continued to be supported by the Social Work Matters (SWM) forums. Particular themes that have been covered include support for carers, prevention and wellbeing, hoarding, and working with people who have complex needs.
A monthly Social Work Matters round-up newsletter goes out highlighting new government guidance, legislation updates, and articles of interest from Social Work England, British Association of Social Workers (BASW), Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), National Institute for Health and care Excellence (NICE), Research in Practice for Adults (RiPfA) etc, with CPD opportunities for adult social care staff.
We offer staff action learning sets, journal clubs and dedicated time towards CPD requirements to uphold their Social Work England registration.
We have now developed a corporate staff offer, including Vivup salary sacrifice for car, bikes, electrical goods, welfare rights and debt management support, and online GP access and counselling.
7 July 2025
Contact information
Debbie O’Connor
Head of Assessment and Care Management and Principal Social Worker
Debbie.oconnor@halton.gov.uk
