Brent Council has approved a £500,000 annual investment to retain social care staff, aiming to combat significant recruitment challenges and reduce reliance on expensive agency workers.
The decision, unanimously endorsed by the General Purposes Committee on Monday, July 27, 2026, will see the continuation of recruitment and retention payments for social workers, occupational therapists, and visual impairment rehabilitation officers across both adult and children's social care services.
These payments are designed to address a highly competitive employment market, where Brent Council's salaries are often lower than those offered by neighbouring boroughs. For instance, Brent's maximum salary for a Social Worker is £46,512, compared to Harrow's £50,691 and Westminster's £57,495. This disparity, highlighted in the Public reports pack, underscores the need for additional incentives to remain competitive.
National and local challenges, including high demand for qualified staff, a trend towards retirement or career changes, and a move towards agency work, have contributed to a reliance on agency staff. In Adult Social Care, agency workers currently make up 21.7% of the workforce, while in Children's Early Help and Social Care, they constitute 10.7%.
To tackle these issues, the initiative includes a £5,000 golden hello
for new recruits and annual retention bonuses. For Adult Social Care, the payments cover social workers, occupational therapists, and visual impairment rehabilitation officers. Retention bonuses are set at £3,000 annually for roles up to Grade PO7, with specific allowances for Best Interest Assessors (£2,000 annually for rota duties) and Practice Educators (£1,000 annually for supervising two students per year).
Councillor Gwen Grahl, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources, emphasised the critical nature of social care, stating, Social care is one of the most challenging professions, and having talented and compassionate staff really does make all the difference.
She added that these payments are essential for Brent to attract and keep the skilled professionals needed.
The continuation of these payments is expected to cost approximately £500,000 per annum for Adult Social Care and £456,000 per annum for Children's Early Help and Social Care, funded from existing departmental budgets. The council anticipates that these revised incentives will increase the number of permanent staff, thereby reducing reliance on agency workers and mitigating associated cost pressures.
The report presented to the committee indicated that these measures have already contributed to greater workforce stability. The permanent children's social workforce is now at nearly 90%, its highest point in a decade, and agency costs in this sector have more than halved over the past three years.
Monthly progress meetings have been established to monitor the impact of these initiatives, with a comprehensive review of their effectiveness scheduled every two years. This approach aims to ensure the long-term sustainability of the recruitment and retention strategy.
Professionals in these fields are also noted as being on skills shortage lists, indicating potential avenues for overseas recruitment to fill key vacancies.
The General Purposes Committee meeting details can be found in the Agenda frontsheet.
