Social workers in England quitting in record numbers

Numbers fall for first time since 2017 despite increased need due to cost of living crisis

Social workers are quitting in record numbers as they struggle to cope with more challenging caseloads stemming from austerity, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

The scale of the crisis in children’s social work is revealed in figures for 2022 published by the Department for Education, which show the number of professionals has fallen for the first time since data collection began in 2017 – despite increasing need.