INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT OF SOCIAL CARE WORKERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS: ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE UK

摘要

This paper presents the results of a survey of international recruitment of social workers and social care workers into the United Kingdom. The literature on international recruitment, especially in relation to social care workers, is extremely sparse. Reviews conducted by the authors for the UK Department of Health did not find any definitive answer to the question of the numbers at present in the UK workforce, their movement between jobs, and their length of stay in the UK. The present study is based on qualitative interviews with three senior managers, four human resources managers, one employment agency manager, one senior social services inspector and three inspectors and three staff from the voluntary and private sectors. The interviews confirmed some of the major benefits associated with international recruitment: a reduction in vacancy rates; filling gaps in key shortage areas; improved sickness records; and once training has been provided the standards of care have improved. In addition, recruitment from overseas has the effect of creating a more diverse staff mix through the appointment of people with more varied experience and experiences. There may also be cost benefits associated with the reduction in costs of employing agency staff. The challenges involved are: having an ethical recruitment policy; the transferability of qualifications and skill sets, and cultural expectations and differences. Employers need to recognize that higher levels of induction are needed in order to meet the unique local knowledge requirements of an overseas candidate. Generally however, there are very few problems, and employers recruiting from overseas find that any problems that exist diminish with each round of recruitment, that is, as employers learn from their previous mistakes. Nevertheless, international recruitment is only a short term strategy, and, alone, does not solve the fundamental domestic problems that lead to the shortages in the first place.