Social workers in the area where Baby P died are being offered salaries £38,000 higher than the UK average for the profession.
Haringey Council has advertised the job of a team manager offering a salary of £68,000 – £20,000 more than the amount offered three years ago.
The job also came with a generous benefits package including a £7,000 relocation allowance, childcare vouchers, and a mobile phone.
Since the highly publicised deaths of Victoria Climbie and Baby P, now identified as Peter, the North London borough has struggled to attract new social workers, with more than a third of vacancies in Haringey vacant or filled by temporary staff.
The Local Government Association has revealed 60% of councils across the country are now experiencing difficulties in recruiting social workers, while research carried out by Personnel Today’s sister publication, Community Care, found one in nine vacancies remain unfilled.
Junior social worker positions in the borough were advertised with a salary of £38,000.
The government’s website Socialworkcareers.co.uk suggests junior social workers should expect to earn around £18,000 rising to £30,000 for a team leader – much lower than the £38,000 to £68,000 on offer at Haringey.
A spokesman for Haringey Council said: “We are putting more resources into child protection, including the recruitment of more staff. The salaries are comparable with other local councils.”
Meanwhile a £58m plan to revolutionise social services in the wake of the Baby P was unveiled today. The six-point plan will secure more investment in training to attract high quality candidates and support for frontline services, children’s secretary Ed Balls said.
