A recent survey reveals that social care recruitment remains a huge challenge for councils, with most local authorities struggling not only to attract talent but also to keep it. Many report acute difficulties in recruiting adult, children’s, and mental health social workers, and for those they do hire, retention remains a constant uphill battle.
UK councils report rising recruitment and retention difficulties within social care
- 80% reported these in relation to children’s social workers, the highest of any staffing group.
- 77% said the same in relation to adult social workers, making it the second biggest problem area.
- 63% cited challenges in attracting mental health social workers.
On retention, the three social work roles represented councils’ biggest areas of challenge, with 80% citing difficulties in relation to children’s practitioners, 61% in relation to adults’ staff and 52% in respect of mental health workers.
Understanding why retention occurs could be key to meet these challenges
The social work profession has always been a sector especially vulnerable to turnover. In children’s social work, for example, leavers outnumber new joiners, and local authorities report that experienced social workers are especially hard to recruit and retain. Many UK councils rely on agency staff to plug gaps, but that reliance brings its own problems: instability, higher costs, and weaker institutional knowledge.
In this context, recruitment is only part of the solution. The bigger, longer-term value lies in retention – helping good people stay, grow, and commit. That’s where a specialist recruitment partner like Compass Associates can make a real difference. With over 20 years’ experience operating in the children’s and adult care space, Compass Associates brings not just candidate pipelines, but ongoing guidance, support, and strategic insight to help organisations retain their teams and build stability.
How Compass Associates support social care recruitment
Strategic workforce planning and proactive talent pipelines
Rather than reacting to vacancies, Compass Associates partners with organisations to understand future needs, internal skills gaps, and retention risks. By maintaining talent pools aligned to your values and service needs, we help you move from firefighting to foresight. That means when someone on your team leaves, you already have trusted, on-brand people ready to step in, reducing stress on existing staff.
Onboarding, mentoring & support structures
Retention often hinges on the early experience. Compass Associates doesn’t just place people – we help embed them. We support structured onboarding, mentoring, and practice development models that help new and existing staff feel supported, understood, and confident. When employees feel valued and supported from day one, they’re far more likely to stay.
Tailored learning, salary benchmarking & pathways
One major driver of turnover is stalling. Social workers frequently cite limited routes for advancement (especially outside management tracks) as a reason for leaving. Compass Associates helps advise organisations on their Continuing Professional Development paths, specialisms, and secondments that align with staff aspirations and service needs. This gives staff visible routes for growth, alternative paths to leadership, and a sense that staying is as valid as leaving.
A deep understanding of this sector with our fingers on the pulse of recruitment
Because we have deep experience in this sector, Compass Associates can help you spot patterns of dissatisfaction and implement early interventions. We act as a sounding board to adjust compensation, workload, team support, and culture, before those pressures cause staff to leave. Our external perspective helps organisations see where internal blind spots lie, and gives practical, experience-grounded advice.
Strategically bridging gaps with agency support
Where short-term cover is unavoidable, Compass Associates helps manage agency usage carefully so it supports, rather than undermines, retention. We recommend blended models, mentorship, and gradual conversion paths, so that agency staff can transition into permanent roles when appropriate — reducing churn and strengthening institutional continuity.
A long-term solution and commitment to the health of your workforce
With Compass Associates as your recruitment and retention partner, you gain a long-term ally committed to the health of your workforce. Two decades of experience in child and adult care means we understand both the challenges and the levers that move retention: culture, progression, support and fairness.
Looking for expert support with your recruitment needs?
Compass Associates offer award-winning recruitment services for the Independent Health, Care and Education Sectors. With a proven track record across high-volume projects, strategic hires, team mobilisations, and sensitive transitions such as business sales or listings, we tailor our approach to your unique goals. Register your vacancy or read our case studies to discover how Compass Associates can support your success.