This page is designed to support care providers navigating the complexities of international recruitment, offering guidance, up-to-date resources, and the latest news. From understanding policy changes to accessing practical tools and identifying the right support contacts, we aim to equip you with everything needed to recruit and retain international staff effectively. Together, we can ensure a thriving workforce that meets the growing needs of adult social care.

Our International Recruitment Partners

International recruitment plays a valuable role in our adult social care workforce. International recruits give the care sector the benefit of their skill and commitment. However, with increases in international recruitment, we have also seen unacceptable increases in unethical practices and the exploitation of international recruits in the adult social care sector.

Providers found to be unethical in their practices are rightly having their licence to sponsor international recruits revoked. This has led to a significant number of dedicated adult social care workers who have been displaced from their original employer and potentially left without work, through no fault of their own. This means they need to urgently find new employment in the sector with an ethical provider who can sponsor them.

A large pool of dedicated talent is available across England to support your workforce.

Social care providers who have employed displaced workers highly value the compassion and expertise they bring, as one home care manager highlights:

“At Avant Home Care, we recognise the invaluable contributions of skilled care workers who, due to various circumstances, have found themselves seeking new roles. This often-untapped pool of talent offers an exceptional opportunity for the social care sector to bridge workforce gaps with dedicated professionals ready to bring compassion and expertise to those in need. We strongly encourage other social care providers to look to these displaced workers to address staffing needs where needed in our local communities”.

If you have vacancies in England and you are looking to recruit international workers, please contact your relevant regional lead from the list below.

Applications for licences and certificates of sponsorship for international recruits can be expedited free of charge when employing a displaced worker. Please refer to the toolkit of best practice, developed in collaboration with Skills for Care, to support you through the process of ethical international recruitment. All international recruitment must adhere to the Code of Practice.

Please do consider this pool of displaced talent when recruiting international workers.

This content was produced by the Department of Health and Social Care and shared with Care England to cascade to members, to download a copy of this document, please click here.