A national survey of social care practitioners in England will only cover those working in adults' services in 2025-26, following changes to its funding arrangements.
The employer standards health check, run by the Local Government Association (LGA), has historically covered practitioners working in both children's and adults' services.
The survey measures practitioner satisfaction with their working conditions against the Standards for Employers of Social Workers in England. These are a set of voluntary benchmarks hosted by the LGA covering areas including caseloads, supervision and continuing professional development.
Though originally just for social workers, the health check has expanded in recent years to cover occupational therapists working in social care and non-registered practitioners.
The last check, carried out in early 2025, found social workers were continuing to struggle with workload, administrative burdens and increasing need.
Changes to funding of health check
That survey was funded by the Department for Education (DfE), on behalf of itself and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
However, the latest survey is being resourced by the LGA itself.
The survey follows an update to the employer standards, which now have greater emphasis on the importance of practitioners having, and being supported to develop, digital skills.
