The Challenge

Wandsworth planned to launch a new recruitmentmarketing campaign and website for its Adults andChildren’s Social Service Teams in Autumn 2009.

At the time, the profession was at a very low ebbfollowing the Baby Peter Investigation. In the faceof national skills shortages, the negative publicityand low morale were making recruitment moredifficult than ever.

The goal of the campaign was to make recruitmentmore effective than ever before while acting as ajoint venture for both Children’s and Adult Socialservices for the first time. The secondary aim wasto reduce spend in both departments – previouslyadvertising was ad-hoc and had proved expensive.In turn, better response should also reduce agencyspend as perm positions were filled.

Our Strategy

As part of a wider piece of research (whichincluded a competitor audit and salarybenchmarking), TMP supported Wandsworth indeveloping an evidence base of their currentposition in the social work recruitment market.This included focus groups to establish the viewsand opinions of current employees – and toidentify what could be done differently to helpposition Wandsworth more favourably in the future.

The research findings were presented back to keyinternal stakeholders such as the AssistantDirectors of both Children’s and Adults. Thefindings were also then used to inform the brief ofthe new campaign.

The resulting creative development process led to

the ‘Wandsworth Way’. It highlights Wandsworth’s

strengths such as its record on safeguarding and

the fact is has managed to avoid recent

controversy – a major selling point post Baby Peter.

A specially created microsite brought the concept

of the ‘Wandsworth Way’ to life – using video and

animation to overcome preconceptions and

highlight selling points.

The media strategy featured a major launch in the

trade press, followed by a carefully planned series

of on and offline advertising activity,

complemented by Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

The Results

The campaign achieved the following results:

• 15,829 unique visitors to the site

• 300 registered candidates

• £80k of media savings through negotiation

• Agency spend in Children’s services has beensignificantlyreduced as there have been 10 hiresin the first 3 monthsof the campaign

• Winner of PPMA ‘Recruitment Microsite of theYear’. Runner up in two further PPMA categories.‘Best Recruitment Advertisement for a District/Borough Council’ & ‘Best RecruitmentAdvertisement in Adult Social Care’

• Runner up in the RAD 2010 ‘Microsite of the Year’

• OnRec 2010 ‘Public Sector Website of the Year’finalist

Case Study – Wandsworth Social Services

Client testimonials:

Jack Cordery, Assistant Director of in

Children’s Services:

“Recruiting social workers has never been more

difficult.The country is facing a much-publicised

shortage of qualified practitioners, and matters

haven’t been helped by regular media criticism of

the profession. As competition for staffis becoming

increasingly fierce, Wandsworth needs to be bolder

and more creative in its approach. We’re very proud

the site has been recognised at the RAD Awards.”

Rob Persey Assistant Director of Adult’s

Social Services:

“The campaign focuses on key issues such as

career development, the value we place on social

workers and the quality of safeguarding. We

believe the ‘Wandsworth Way’of doing things is a

big draw for talented Social Workers.”

Councillor Kathy Tracy, Executive Member for

Children’s Services:

“Wandsworth has a strong reputation in both

Adults’ and Children’s Social Service. The council’s

entire range of services for children, including its

schools and its child protection systems, are

“excellent” according to standards watchdog

Ofsted. However, we owe it to our residents to build

the strongest possible social work team while

reducing the reliance on costly agency workers.

We’re very pleased the campaign is helping us

bring in even more committed and capable

professionals to Wandsworth.”

Social workers have a

challenging professional

task. That’s why at Wandsworth we do our utmost to keep caseloads

under control so you can concentrate on what really matters – delivering

an excellent service to the people that need your expert support. Join

Wandsworth and you’ll become part of a strong and supportive team that

understands the challenges social workers face and does everything to

make their role that little bit easier. To find out more about opportunities

in Adults’ or Children’s services, visit www.thewandsworthway.org

The Wandsworth Social Work service has always recognised the contribution our staff make to our professional pride and high standards. Communication is strong and we’re increasingly seeking the input of frontline staff to inform policy and practice. This is a borough where you will always be valued. To find out more about opportunities in Children’s services, visit www.thewandsworthway.org/guardian

An Equal Opportunities Employer

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Strengthening and developing our workforce is vital in maintaining our high standards. That’s why we have your career development in mind from day one. This includes supervision so you learn effectively on the job, formal training opportunities, and support in undertaking further qualifications. To find out more about opportunities in Adult services, visit www.thewandsworthway.org/guardian

An Equal Opportunities Employer

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We know that awards aren’t everything. But they are a good indication you’re doing a good job

and to us at Wandsworth, that’s what matters. We’ve won a few awards along the road, but we

haven’t let them lead to complacency or get in the way of delivering excellent services to those

who need them. Join Wandsworth and you’ll become part of a team that’s highly regarded for

the positive effect it has on people’s lives. To find out more about opportunities in Adults’ or

Children’s services, visit www.thewandsworthway.org/commcare

An Equal Opportunities Employer

At Wandsworth, we know that being better connected with colleagues

across our organisation puts us in a stronger position to improve

outcomes for the people we support. It’s about harnessing every resource available to us and making best use of

each one – something we’re good at here. Join us and you’ll be part of a team that believes in integrated working

and is proud of the positive impact it can have on people’s lives. To find out more about opportunities in Adults’

or Children’s services, visit www.thewandsworthway.org/cyp