UK: Social workers to be given pay raises after "Baby P" scandal

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'Social workers who deal with troubled families and vulnerable children should be paid more, a report said yesterday.

The proposal means that 'front line' social workers should be able to push their pay above the ceiling of around £35,000 and match the £50,000 available to the best classroom teachers and the best nurses.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls ordered the report in the aftermath of the Old Bailey trial of the killers of 17-month-old Baby P.

The higher pay should go to those who turn down desk-bound management jobs and build their experience in helping those at risk, the report said.

The proposals will also lead to the prospect of salary rises for social workers considered to be underpaid in some parts of the country.'