§ Mr. Goodladasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the criteria to be used in the recruitment of child welfare officers.
§ Mr. MoyleLocal social services authorities are required to appoint a director of social services, after consulting me, and to provide him with adequate staff. The terms and conditions of staff of social services departments are agreed by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities APT and C staff. Local authorities do not normally recruit staff, other than residential staff, to work with a particular client group and any social worker may be called upon to work with children.
I have not issued guidance about the recruitment of local authority staff. Guidance about the percentage of staff which should be qualified and the priority to be given to training has been given 701W through my general endorsement of the report of the Working Party on Manpower and Training for the Social Services; in the consultative document "Priorities for the Health and Personal Social Services in England" issued in 1976; and in "The Way Forward" issued in 1977.