The children’s services regulator today released the results of its first national annual survey, based on the views of 4000 social workers’ views.

The results show that most social workers feel well supported by line managers, and are positive about the continuing training available to them in their council. While just over half of newly qualified social workers said their caseload was properly protected in their first year of work – one in four said it was not.

But only one in five social workers feel they have enough time to work effectively with the children and young people on their caseload. Only half of social workers surveyed feel informed about issues arising from local serious case reviews or that they are made fully aware of changes to policies and procedures.

Commenting on the surveys, Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said: “These two surveys are the first time that Ofsted has provided a national picture of the views of social workers and third sector organisations on their work with potentially vulnerable children. They give us some really valuable insights. In often very challenging situations, most social workers feel well supported by their line managers and by the training available to them. However, there are some worrying findings.”

Ofsted is also issuing a report on the views of over 1,500 third sector organisations which provide services for children and young people across most local authorities in England.