The Employment Committee of Trafford Council met on Monday 7 September 2026 to discuss the continuation of a market factor supplement for Adult Social Care staff, an update on executive recruitment activity, and a quarterly report on exemptions to the sickness policy. The meeting also included a review of executive recruitment activity and a report on agency and consultant spend.

Adult Social Care Market Factor Supplement

The committee was scheduled to consider a report from the Director of Social Work and Social Care regarding the continuation of a Market Factor Supplement (MFS) for Adult Social Care Social Workers and Senior Practitioners. The report highlighted ongoing national and local recruitment and retention challenges within adult social work. It noted that while Trafford's social worker turnover rate had reduced following the introduction of the MFS in 2022, it had subsequently increased significantly, exceeding the national benchmark. The report also detailed current vacancies, agency spend, and pay benchmarking against other Greater Manchester authorities. The recommendation was to approve the continuation of the current MFS payments for a further two-year period, from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028, at specified rates for different social worker bands. The estimated annual cost of £250,000 was noted to be met from existing Adult Social Care employee budgets. A review of the payment was also recommended to be undertaken within 12 months.

Update on Executive Recruitment Activity

A report from the Corporate Director of Strategy and Resources was scheduled to provide an update on executive recruitment activity for key statutory and senior leadership posts. This included progress on the permanent appointment of the Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer), with a detailed timeline of the recruitment process outlined, including candidate attraction, technical interviews, and upcoming Member Appointment Panels. The report also covered preparatory work for the recruitment of the Director of Legal and Governance Services (Monitoring Officer) and the Director of Children's Services, with executive search specialists GatenbySanderson appointed to support these campaigns. The anticipated recruitment of the Director of Adult Social Services in late 2026/early 2027 was also noted.

Quarterly Report on Exemptions to the Sickness Policy

The committee was scheduled to receive a verbal report from the Head of HR Operations concerning exemptions to the sickness policy for the period of 1 January to 31 March 2026 (Quarter 4). The report indicated that seven requests for exemptions had been received and approved. Of these, two cases had been resolved, two were exploring ill-health retirement, and three colleagues were receiving ongoing support.

Agency and Consultant Spend for Quarter 3 and Quarter 4

A report on agency spending for Quarters 3 and 4 of the 2025/26 financial year was scheduled for discussion. The report indicated a total agency spend of £3,783,056.60 for this period, with a slight increase in Quarter 4 attributed to higher demand in Adult Social Care and Legal Services. The report highlighted a reduction in agency spend within Children's Services over four consecutive quarters, attributed to targeted workforce interventions. While agency expenditure in Adult Social Care saw an increase, this was understood to be related to interim leadership positions and a transformation programme. Benchmarking indicated that Trafford's agency spending was among the lowest in Greater Manchester.

Workforce Update

The Head of Resourcing and Development was scheduled to present a report on the workforce, structured around four strategic pillars: 'Work with Us', 'Learn and Grow with Us', 'Belong and Connect with Us', and 'Stay and Thrive with Us'. The report was expected to cover workforce stability, new employee numbers, live vacancies, and the conversion of agency workers to permanent contracts in Children's Social Care. It was also to detail activity in workforce skills and development, including apprenticeships and management programmes, as well as wellbeing initiatives and health and safety work. The report was anticipated to include information on staff turnover rates and sickness absence, with comparisons to previous years and public sector benchmarks.

Adult Social Care Market Factor Supplement (Report for Decision)

A separate report for decision from the Director of Social Work and Social Care was scheduled to review the current Market Factor Supplement arrangements for Adult Social Care Social Workers and Senior Practitioners. This report detailed recruitment and retention data, workforce vacancies, turnover, agency usage, and salary benchmarking. It outlined the rationale for continuing the current arrangements for a further two years, from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028, with specific rates for different social worker bands. The report noted that the estimated annual cost of £250,000 would be met from existing Adult Social Care employee budgets and recommended a review of the payment after 12 months.

The meeting was scheduled to be filmed for broadcast on the Council's YouTube channel.