To ask the Minister of Health to detail retention initiatives for social workers in the Health and Social Care Trusts.

All Health and Social Care Trusts deliver a range of initiatives that focus on the retention of social workers. For newly qualified social workers this includes individual coaching, mentoring, and the provision of monthly support sessions. Early-career social workers are also supported by more senior staff to complete their mandatory Assessed Year in Employment requirements which allows them to progress in their HSC career journey.

Trusts provide a range of opportunities designed to encourage the retention of all social work staff which includes:

in-service training,

University-accredited Professional in Practice programmes,

events which showcase and celebrate best social work practice, and

wellbeing and self-care initiatives.

My Department has also been working collaboratively with Trusts to develop a range of initiatives designed to support the retention of social workers. These include:

safer staffing guidance which will help to inform more manageable caseloads for social workers,

a career pathway framework for HSC social work,

producing a comprehensive 10-year workforce plan designed to attract, recruit and retain social workers, and

tackling sickness and absence-from-work rates and sharing best practice on how to prevent and reduce staff absence rates.