Permanent Social Work at Somerset Council

Information about permanent social work at Somerset Council

Statutory changes for children’s agency social workers

There are significant upcoming changes that will affect children’s agency social workers being implemented by 1 October 2025, including:

  • A regional pay cap across the South West of England. Local Authorities will introduce a maximum hourly rate for Experienced Social Workers, Advanced Social Workers, and Team Managers and remove any additional expenses payments that are currently available.
  • A minimum notice period of four weeks.
  • Restricting movement across the South West – if permanent workers leave their role, they will be unable to work as a children’s agency social worker in the South West region for six months.
  • Children’s agency social workers must have at least three years post-qualifying experience in a permanent role within an English Local Authority children’s service.
  • Local Authorities must obtain and provide detailed practice-based references for all children’s agency social workers, using a national template, requiring at least two references before hiring.
2 young girls hugging

Why choose a permanent social work role in children’s services?

Are you currently an agency social worker in children’s services at Somerset Council, and considering becoming a permanent employee?

Whilst there are benefits to both permanent employment and agency work, being a permanent employee enables you to make a meaningful impact and build trusting professional relationships, as well as providing long-term career progression opportunities, job stability and financial security.

Job security and stability

In a profession as demanding as social work, stability is key. While social work agency jobs may offer short-term flexibility, they often come with significant uncertainty.

With a permanent role in a local authority, you benefit from the security of ongoing employment, consistent pay, and access to benefits such as paid holidays, sick pay, and pension contributions – perks that are often missing in agency contracts.

Furthermore, the Government’s statutory guidance on how children’s social workers can be engaged to work in local authorities has come into force. This means that agencies must adhere to stricter rules when placing staff in local authorities.

Competitive pay and benefits

Though agency social work jobs may appear to offer better hourly pay, permanent local authority roles now offer competitive salaries alongside a wealth of additional benefits. These can include:

  • Market supplements worth thousands
  • Generous local government pension schemes
  • Paid annual leave and public holidays
  • Training and development opportunities, including LA-funded professional qualifications
  • Travel discount and loan schemes
  • Health and wellbeing programmes

The gap between agency and permanent social worker wages has closed in recent years. This, coupled with the above benefits, makes permanent roles an attractive option to many social workers. This is especially true when considering the long-term financial stability that permanent roles provide.

A sense of belonging and teamwork

One of the challenges with a role from a social work recruitment agency is the lack of connection and continuity with your team. Permanent social work roles with local authorities offer the opportunity to be part of a supportive, dedicated team.

You’ll build long-term relationships not only with colleagues but also with the children and families you work with. This allows you to see the real impact of your work and gives you a sense of belonging. According to social workers who’ve made the switch, being a permanent part of a team has vastly improved their work satisfaction.

Permanent employment benefits

Although agency social worker roles may offer a higher hourly rate of pay, permanent roles across Somerset Council offer competitive rates of pay as well as a wide range of additional benefits, including:

  • Annual salary incremental rises
  • Generous paid annual leave plus bank holidays, and parental leave (where eligible)
  • Flexible working opportunities supporting work/life balance
  • Local Government Pension Scheme
  • Training and continuous professional development opportunities
  • A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, including wellbeing support and free counselling
  • Full sick pay
  • Retention bonus payments (within eligible teams)