In September 2022, the previous Health and Social Care Secretary announced a £15m international recruitment fund to help adult social care providers recruit overseas staff as part of the Plan for Patients. It has taken until 10 February 2023 for this fund to be launched. The money will be used to enable international recruitment over 2023 and 2024.
The fund is aimed at SME providers but note that DHSC will distribute the grant through a lead Local Authority which will act on behalf of all the LAs in the partnership and in collaboration with local care alliances and local providers. The lead LA is the one that makes the application for funding which reflects the consensus of the wider partnership and collaboration. The services offered through the partnership, using the funding, must be available to all adult social care providers within the footprint of the partnership – it looks unlikely that the funding will be passported directly to providers. However, the intention appears to be that initiatives created by this funding, should in theory, be co-designed. Examples in the guidance about how it can used includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- helping providers attract overseas candidates
- a shared recruitment resource that looks at the whole region needs
- providing an advice or checking service for sponsorship licence or visa applications
- helping new arrivals to access affordable housing
- helping international recruits with solutions to work travel requirements, for example, helping them gain a UK driving licence
- developing pastoral support, such as buddying schemes
The deadlines for the lead Local Authorities to apply for funding are very tight:
- Deadline for submission of bids accessing 2022 to 2023 funding – 24 February 2023.
- Deadline for submission of bids accessing 2023 to 2024 funding – 17 March 2023.
Funding must be spent by the end of the respective financial years.