A campaign to retrain both social workers for adults and children who have left the profession is being launched.
The ‘Come Back to Social Work’ programme, launched by the Local Government Association (LGA), the Department for Education and the Department of Health, is initially aiming to recruit 30 experienced social workers.
Latest figures show there were 1,700 vacancies for adult social workers in 2015 compared with 1,100 in 2014, up from eight to 12 per cent of the workforce. The number of leavers increased from 12 to 13 per cent of the workforce between 2014 and 2015.

Doctors prescribing outdoor exercise to patients would see more people doing physical activity, councils claim.

Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has claimed that attempts to close and prosecute illegal faith schools are being hindered by councils concerned about upsetting community relations.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has said it is confident local authorities will be able to meet the government’s pledge to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020.
The news comes as Home Secretary Amber Rudd confirmed that enough council places had been secured to resettle all the refugees arriving under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
Rudd cited 2,800 Syrians to have arrived by the end of June, with more than 100 councils helping to resettle them.

Children’s services operated by Sunderland Council have made significant progress, after Ofsted previously rated the services as inadequate.

Prime Minister Theresa May has raised concerns over the feasibility of utilising a points-based system for controlling immigration into the UK.

Financial auditors KPMG has criticised Northampton Council’s handling of a £10.25 million stadium redevelopment loan given to Northampton Town Football Club.

Caroline Lucas has been re-elected at the Green Party Leader in a job-share with Jonathan Bartley, after gaining 86 per cent of votes.

City councillors have given the green light for plans to double the size of Salford’s MediaCity UK.
Up to ten new buildings, with a development value of more than £1 billion are to be built creating over 1,400 new homes and hundreds of jobs.
Salford’s MediaCityUK already hosts the BBC, ITV, The Lowry, dock10 studios, apartments and hotels, restaurants, cafés and bars, the University of Salford, Salford City College and the UTC.