Social workers still struggling with rising needs and admin, finds employer standards health check 2026

The health check is an annual LGA survey of social workers designed to track how well organisations are implementing the Standards for Employers of Social Workers in England. These are a set of eight voluntary benchmarks hosted by the LGA covering areas including caseloads, supervision and continuing professional development. They were updated in 2025 to place greater emphasis on the importance of practitioners having, and being supported to develop, digital skills