More than 1,100 people turned up to find out about careers in social care during the Croydon leg of a national recruitment tour.

The Department of Health roadshow comes as the borough plans to hire an extra 60 social care staff in the wake of the Baby Peter death scandal.

People visiting the Whitgift event were given practical advice about finding social care jobs in the area and information on training and career progression.

More than £3m has been earmarked for social care in the borough to deal with a “significant” increase in casework in the past 12 months, with millions more due to be spent on a new “children’s hub” in Edridge Road.

Care services minister Phil Hope said: “It’s wonderful to see the people of Croydon taking an interest in a career in social care.

“It’s a really rewarding career with plenty of scope for training and progression, flexible working hours and the opportunity of further qualifications.

Anyone interested can find out more details by calling 0300 123 1100, or visiting socialcarecareers.co.uk.