perienced agency staff to remain with agencies because if they left, they would not be able to return to the agency on the same rate in the future. A number of DCSs also noted the evidence of global majority agency workers’ preference for agency working in light of the evidence that progression to permanent senior management roles is low (Durban et al., 2021; SESLIP & LiiA, 2023). These data underline the need for employers to create safe, inclusive and actively anti-racist environments. New policy announcement In response to this issue, statutory guidance on the use of agency child and family social workers came into force on 31 October 2024. After a period of transition, local authorities will be required: • To agree and observe regional pay caps • Not to use agency staff who have less than three years post-qualification experience • Not to employ agency staff that have recently left permanent roles in the same region • To manage all staff working in project teams • To submit quarterly returns to the DfE on the number of agency workers and how they have been used. 8 The agency worker rate, as at 30 September, is calculated as (the number of) FTE agency (children and family) social workers divided by the sum of FTE agency social workers and FTE social workers. 9 The London Pledge is a shared commitment by London’s directors of children’s services to address reliance on agency workers. Thirty-two London boroughs are working to establish a more balanced social worker workforce across London: by collecting data on a quarterly basis; working actively with providers to improve partnership working with the existing supply chain; controlling rising agency worker rates through agreed regional capped rates based on evidence; and ensuring accurate performance feedback on candida