Older people’s social work safe staffing supply and workforce demands analysis: A case study from Northern Ireland

In the UK, a range of operational tools and policy guidelines regulate staffing in various Health and Social Care sectors. Nonetheless, frameworks to ensure safe staffing in social work remain less advanced. This study focuses on older people’s social work community teams in Northern Ireland due to the high volume of cases and vacancies within these teams. Our findings provide evidence based on actual caseloads (direct work with service users) and workloads at individual, team, and regional levels within this programme of care. The analysis revealed systemic issues that require systemic solutions in relation to staffing supply and service demands. Frontline social workers and managers frequently faced overwhelming worker-to-caseload ratios, routine use of waiting lists, and team vacancies. These findings lay the groundwork for evidence-based strategic planning, guiding the development and enactment of safer and more effective social work policies and legislation in the years ahead. The project was commissioned by the Department of Health, Northern Ireland in preparation for policy and legislative developments expected between 2025 and 2028.