‘I don't feel great about it, but it was the logical decision' – An exploration of why England’s agency social workers have left permanent child protection roles.

In 2023, England’s statutory children’s services recorded the highest number of agency social workers since records began. The cost of these workers, and the impact of an unsettled workforce on the children in receipt of their services, has led to a new set of national rules for agency social workers in children’s social care. However, there has been a dearth of enquiry seeking to explore with agency social workers their rationale for leaving permanent employment; the impact the new national rules will have on their motivation to remain within an agency role; and any additional changes that they think are required to persuade them to return to a ‘permanent’ local authority position. This study draws from the testimonies of 27 agency social workers working within the English child protection system. It found that the allure of agency work lay in the enhanced renumeration and flexibility offered over permanent contracts, and that the new reforms are unlikely to persuade many current agency workers to return to permanent positions. The implication that emerges is that government should focus on enhancing the pay and flexibility of permanent workers to more effectively address this measure of workforce instability within the English child protection system.