Caseload of Frontline Child Protection Social Workers - Find a freedom of information request

I am sending this request under the Freedom of Information Act to ask for the following information.

1. In your authority's children's services department, what was the highest caseload of a frontline child protection social worker as of 1 April 2022?

Please explain how the figures are calculated on occasions where there are multiple children in a family being supported. (Ie. Is there one case per child, or one case per family?)

Please understand 'frontline social workers' to be those that are registered with Social Work England.

2. In your authority's children's services department, what was the average caseload of a frontline child protection social worker as of 1 April 2022?

Please explain how the figures are calculated on occasions where there are multiple children in a family being supported. (Ie. Is there one case per child, or one case per family?)

3. In each of the following financial years, how many referrals did your authority's children's services department receive - where a referral is defined as a request for services to be provided by children's social care?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

4. What was the number of section 47 enquiries made by your authority's children's services in the following financial years?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

5. How many children in total were on child protection plans within your authority's children's services in the following financial years?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

6. How many children were newly added to child protection plans within your authority's children's services in the following financial years?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

7. How many children exited child protection plans within your authority's children's services in the following financial years?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

8. How many children in total were categorised as 'in need' within your authority's children's services in the following financial years?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

9. How many children were newly assessed as 'in need' within your authority's children's services in the following financial years?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

10. How many children were removed from the 'in need' category within your authority's children's services in the following financial years?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

10. In the following years, how much was spent by your authority's children's services on early help and prevention services?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

11. On 1 April in the following financial years, how many children designated as 'in need' or as a child protection case were either not yet allocated a social worker or had been given a holding allocation?

a. 2017/18

b. 2018/19

c. 2019/20

d. 2020/21

e. 2021/22

Please see the attached document.

If you would like to see a copy of this attachment, please request it from CustomerInformationService@lincolnshire.gov.uk quoting the reference number 3822929.