Social work is on the national occupational shortage list and attracting and retaining social workers, especially experienced practitioners, is a national as well as a local challenge.
To help support this, permanent social workers working for the council will be able to claim back the costs of their registration fees from their next renewal period this December, if their job description requires them to be registered.
Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “We believe Wolverhampton is the best place to do social work and are really pleased to be able to offer this to our social workers.
"It will not only help attract social workers to Wolverhampton alongside other strong actions we are taking, but we hope also shows that we value our social work workforce and want to recognise their hard work and continued commitment to our children, adults and families in the city.”
In addition to this the wider adults and children’s social care workforce will also soon be able to claim back the costs of membership to the Blue Light card scheme, which provides discounts for emergency services, NHS staff, social care sector and armed forces both online and with major retailers.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, added: “We recognise that good, effective social work could not exist without the wider support from our social care workforce and we wanted to make sure they are also recognised for the amazing work they do in the city for the individuals and families we support.”
To find out more about social work jobs available with the City of Wolverhampton Council, please visit Social Work Jobs or email kim.bellingham@wolverhampton.gov.uk.