Councils are seeing social workers go sick due to ill mental health more than 75 times a year on average.

Most recent stats from Kent County Council (KCC) recorded between April 2021 and March 2022 shows there were 128 mental health absences, which accounted for 1.43% of all reasons for leave.

This was an increase from the previous financial year, where there were 78 - a rise of 64% - although there were slightly more than half of the number of absences of any kind than in 2021/22.

Based on data going back to 2018, there have been 77 times a year on average where a KCC social worker has had taken mental health-related leave.

Medway Council saw 25 such absences in 2022, which was a rise of nine from the previous year; the authority didn't specify the percentage of absences this accounted for.

However, the council did release statistics dating back to 2016. On average, a social worker goes sick due to mental health 20 times each year.

KCC did not provide statistics from 2016 to 2018, stating it would be too expensive to source the data.

The data comes after it was revealed in December how temporary social workers were being paid as much as £620 a day by KCC as it faces a recruitment crisis.

A KCC spokesman said: “In 2019, KCC signed up to the Time to Change employer pledge marking our commitment to ending mental health discrimination, raising awareness of mental health problems and reducing stigma around mental health.

“In April 2021, Time to Change was disbanded, but as an organisation we wanted to continue our commitment to mental health, so we signed up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment.

“KCC actively encourages the mental wellbeing of all employees and offers a wealth of preventative and assistive support both in house via our managing stress at work policy, mental health support line, and professional occupational health, coaching and mediation services and via collaboration with partner agencies such as NHS, One You Kent, Mind, Live Well Kent, Release the Pressure, Every Mind Matters, Able Futures, Vita Minds, and the Mental Health Foundation.

“All KCC social workers have access to trauma support, and we have specific offices where they can come together to debrief and be supported.

“KCC social workers have experienced additional unprecedented and incomparable pressures over the past few years due to the increased numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children referred into KCC care and the ongoing pandemic however, mental health absences remain low.

"In May 2022 the council’s Children’s Services were rated as Outstanding by Ofsted.

"The health and wellbeing of our staff is of the highest importance"

"The report highlighted that staff speak highly and very positively about working in Kent, they 'love' working for Kent, and they feel supported by their colleagues and valued by managers.’’

A spokesman for Medway Council said: “The health and wellbeing of our staff is of the highest importance.

"Confidential counselling is available to all staff 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"We also have monthly mindfulness sessions and weekly wellbeing drop-ins specifically for social workers to help with their mental wellbeing.”