Empowering International Recruits: Strengthening the Adult Social Care Workforce in 2024-25

Abby Vella-Folliss Assistant Director – Improvement WM-ADASS 

The 2024-25 International Recruitment (IR) Programme, delivered in partnership with West Midlands Employers and West Midlands Care Association, is paving the way for councils and HR directors across the West Midlands to support international workers and tap into a valuable pool of international talent to support adult social care services. As workforce challenges persist, international recruitment has been a strategy to address staffing shortages and enhance care delivery.

The Value of International Recruitment

International care workers often bring critical skills and experience to the sector. Waheed Azam, Operations Director at Nationwide Care Services, highlights the transformative impact of international recruitment: “Prior to international recruitment, we had to hand back care hours to local authorities due to the lack of staff. Since recruiting internationally, we have been able to provide 100% of all packages against the care frameworks they have with local authorities.”

Local Authority Commissioning Managers echo this sentiment, emphasising the importance of retaining this pipeline of talent: “I wouldn’t want international recruitment to end tomorrow because there are some good people coming over who we can support.”

Addressing Unethical Practices 

While international recruitment has its benefits, the sector has faced challenges with unethical practices and exploitation. The 2024-25 International Recruitment Fund builds on the previous year’s efforts to strengthen safeguards and address these issues. A key focus this year is supporting displaced international care workers, many of whom were affected by employer sponsorship revocations. Providers engaging in unethical practices have had their sponsorship licenses revoked, leaving many workers without employment through no fault of their own. This has created a pool of international care workers who urgently need ethical employment opportunities.

Support for Care Providers and Workers 

The 2024-25 programme brings local authorities and adult social care providers across the West Midlands together, meeting each month to exchange best practices and strengthen recruitment strategies. Our goal is to work together to deliver robust support for care providers and displaced workers:

For Care Providers:

• Compliance and Legal Guidance: Assistance in navigating regulations.
• Access to Talent: A pool of work-ready international care workers.

For Displaced International Workers:

• Employment and Legal Support: Help finding new ethical employment.
• Self-Service Platform: The “My UK Life” platform offers resources such as CV tips, signposting to training, community-building tools and much more.
• Guidance on Visa Processes: Support in navigating sponsorship and reporting unethical practices.

Enhanced Local Support

Local authorities across the West Midlands are playing a pivotal role in enhancing support for displaced workers and care providers. Initiatives include:

Warwickshire County Council: An accredited English language and cultural training course focused on social care terminology and skills.

Walsall Council: An International Recruitment Response Team to guide care providers and displaced workers.

Data-Driven  Insights: Integration of workforce data to address risks and direct support where it’s needed most.

Through the Small Grants Programme, eight councils have received funding to offer additional resources such as training, pastoral care, and recruitment fairs. These efforts demonstrate a collaborative approach to workforce resilience.

Engaging Displaced International Care Workers To support the 2024/25 International Recruitment Programme, the West Midlands regional IR partnership has been providing support to international care workers impacted by sponsorship revocation. At the end of December 2024, 3,700 individuals had been signposted to the regional offer, via www.revoked.support, with almost 500 people requesting support, and this number is still growing. Support includes a range of activities from helping displaced workers move between employers to supporting adult social care providers to hire visa holders looking for new employment. This support will continue to be available until September 2025.

How to Get Involved

Local authorities and care providers are encouraged to consider the displaced talent pool when recruiting international workers. Ethical providers can play a vital role in restoring employment opportunities for these skilled professionals, ensuring a stronger, more resilient care workforce. Displaced international care workers, living in the West Midlands, can register at www.revoked.support  where they will be directed to the relevant support.

For more information, visit the International Recruitment Hub or contact us hello@wmca.international By harnessing international talent and fostering ethical practices, the 2024-25 International Recruitment Programme is driving meaningful change in the West Midlands’ adult social care sector.