Teachers and lawyers are being urged to become social workers under plans to address a shortage in the profession.

Those persuaded to switch would be paid £15,000 a year while retraining.

The move, announced by Ed Balls, the Children’s Secretary, comes after a damning report into the state of child protection after the death of Baby Peter in 2007.

The toddler died after months of violent abuse at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger, despite 60 visits by social workers in Haringey, North London.

Lord Laming’s report into child protection after Baby Peter’s death, found there had not been enough progress since his inquiry following the murder of Victoria Climbie by relatives in 2001 in the same borough.

Mr Balls wants 200 people to retrain for an “on the job” social work qualification which would make it easier for professionals to transfer to the career.

Recruitment will start immediately with the selection process early next year.

One in seven social work posts are currently thought to be vacant. The profession will also get a college to represent social workers, similar to those which act on behalf of doctors and nurses.

New guidance about the different roles in children’s services will also be published.

The plans are a direct response to failings exposed following two serious case reviews into Haringey’s child protection services.

Baby Peter’s death “could and should have been prevented” but agencies lacked “urgency” by not taking him into care, inspectors found.

The review concluded that if doctors, lawyers, police officers and social workers had adopted a more thorough and challenging approach, the case would have been stopped in its tracks at the first serious incident.

But the scandal also brought into focus the shortage of social workers in Britain.

The Conservatives claim that around a third of social work posts were vacant in November 2008, just before the Baby P case became public.

The Department for Children School and Families said it would work with local authorities to try to recruit more social workers in the longer term.

Plans already outlined include sponsoring university places for graduates in any subject to become social workers and persuading those who had left the profession to return.