Flexible working is now widespread in children's social care jobs
By Gemma Raw
A recent survey by Community Care shows that more than three quarters of local authorities in England allow flexible working for children's social workers.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there was a growing trend towards flexible, hybrid and home working in many professions. The necessity to adapt to new working practices during the height of the pandemic seems to have made people appreciate the benefits of flexible working. According to research by Statista, only 16% of British people now consider nine to five to be ideal working hours and 63% support a four-day working week.
Social work is a profession in which flexible working can be a viable option. Those who work in social care roles are rarely entirely office-based, often travelling to clients' homes and other locations, such as courts and the offices of partner organisations. That's why more and more social care providers are moving to a flexible working model, enabling social workers to be productive and effective, while enjoying an improved work-life balance.
What is flexible working?
Flexible working is a cover-all term given to any kind of working pattern which is different from your existing one. This can include changing from full to part-time work, changing the hours that you work, or working from home (WFH) or remotely for all or part of the time.
Community Care’s Total Reward survey took place between October and December 2021. The survey found that flexibility in hours was the most common form of working for those in children's social work jobs, with 42% of children's services respondents saying that over a quarter of their staff worked in this way. WFH was also popular, with 39% saying over a quarter of children's social care staff worked entirely from home.
A popular move
Community Care's most recent jobseeker's survey shows that flexible working is the most important benefit that people look for in a social work job, while the ability to work from home comes second. This is not necessarily a result of the pandemic. The survey has been showing these results for the past five years.
As part of its Happier, Healthier Professionals research, What Works for Children's Social Care launched a pilot study in which social workers were permitted to 'compress' their working hours into fewer days, working either a four-day week or a nine-day fortnight. Participants found this way of working to be a more reliable and preferable way of achieving a better work-life balance than taking time off in lieu. The social workers involved were very positive about the policy, saying that it improved their motivation and wellbeing. However, senior social care staff reported that there were challenges in balancing working patterns with service delivery.
How do you request flexible working?
Everyone has the right to request flexible working. There are two ways to ask your employer to change your working arrangements:
You can make a statutory request if you've worked continuously for your employer for the last 26 weeks. There's a legal process that you and your employer must follow.
If you're not entitled to make a statutory request, you can make a non-statutory request to your employer for flexible working. In this case, there's no set procedure.
If your employer agrees to your request, your employment contract will need to be amended. The new flexible working pattern can be on a trial basis.
Find out more here.
