Social services chiefs are planning to recruit ten newly-trained Australian social workers in a bid to ease a recruitment crisis in Bedfordshire.

The move comes as figures reveal that the national average vacancy rate for social workers is 7.5 per cent, while in Bedfordshire the figure is nearer 10 per cent. Many of these vacancies are in key front-line child care and protection roles.

A recent independent survey conducted on behalf of the Local Government Association indicated that social worker recruitment was "significantly difficult" in London and the south east and for social workers and care staff in children's homes across the country.

Social services director Alan Chapman has told councillors that a national shortage of trained social workers is causing problems for Bedfordshire and other counties. Meanwhile some councils are using expensive incentives to attract recruits.

He said: "The number of people completing social care training courses has dropped dramatically, just 5,000 last year compared to 11,000 five years ago.

"This has resulted in a huge demand for trained social workers. Some local authorities are offering inflated salaries in a bid to maintain employee levels while others even offer so-called 'golden hellos' to attract new recruits.

"This makes it much harder for counties such as Bedfordshire to fill important posts.

"We have decided to ease the crisis by recruiting fully-trained social workers from Queensland, Australia. We will be conducting recruitment interviews in August and should be welcoming new colleagues to the UK by January 2001."

Bedfordshire social services already enjoys close links with James Cook University in Queensland, where prospective social workers complete a four-year degree before qualifying.

Australian Laurel Eden, who has worked at Bedfordshire social services for four years, has already talked to potential new recruits and says they are looking forward to moving to the county.

She said: "In northern Australia they have the opposite problem to Bedfordshire, because there's something of an over-supply of social workers.

"I have spoken to at least 15 well-trained and enthusiastic colleagues who are really keen to take up this opportunity to use their skills in the UK."

Current vacancies in Bedfordshire social services include: