Debate contribution: Social Workers: North Down
Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on .
- MLA
- Mr Mike Nesbitt
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 20 May 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Social Workers: North Down
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4964121
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The South Eastern Trust reports that, as of 12 May 2025, 929 social workers were employed across adult and children’s social work services, which equates to 861 whole-time equivalents. On 31 March 2023, there were 784 whole-time equivalent social workers in the South Eastern Trust. On 31 March 2024, there were 807. I am pleased to report, therefore, that, between 2023 and 2025, the number of social workers has increased by 77. The trust has 53 social work vacancies at band 6 and 11 at band 7. An additional 95 staff are absent from work due to sickness. The trust informed us that it is actively managing sickness levels and providing staff with support to enable them to return to work. Vacancy and absence rates can impact on the availability of social workers, leading to the use of waiting lists or unallocated cases to manage referrals. The trust has implemented a review and monitoring process to ensure the safe management of cases that await allocation in children’s services. The South Eastern Trust participates in a number of Department-led initiatives that are aimed at stabilising the HSC social work workforce, including the fast recruitment of newly qualified workers. It is envisaged that the majority of the 53 vacant band 6 posts in the trust will be offered to newly qualified social workers between June and September 2025. In fact, in the coming months, approximately 240 vacant posts will be offered to newly qualified social workers across all five trusts. The South Eastern Trust has advised that it is prioritising attraction and retention initiatives for social workers and developing the use of a bank of social work staff to fill temporary vacancies. Despite those efforts, there continues to be an inadequate supply of social workers to meet service demands regionally. My Department reviews regularly and seeks to increase the number of commissioned training places to meet the demand.
316 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.74).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.74 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.85 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.15 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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