The government has made funding available to support international recruitment into the social care sector during the 23-24 financial year. In the South East region, a significant portion of this money will fund a scheme to distribute small grants of £1500 each to CQC registered providers carrying out recruitment of international workers.
In order to be eligible for a grant, a provider must meet the following criteria:
o Be registered with the CQC as a provider of social care
o Be located (determined by registered CQC location) in one of the Local Authority areas in the South East region
o Have an overall CQC rating which is above the ‘Inadequate’ rating at the time of application (i.e. ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’ or ‘Requires Improvement’)
o EITHER intend to apply for a Licence to Sponsor skilled workers OR to hold a licence already and intend to recruit at least one international worker on a Skilled Worker Visa between 1st April 23 and 15th March 24
o Confirm that they will understand and will abide by the provisions of the Ethical Recruitment Framework (See the Code of Practice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel-in-england )
o Confirm that they are able to offer any international workers they recruit work in accordance with the requirements of the Skilled Worker Visa
o Correctly and fully complete the correct application form.
A provider’s eligibility will be assessed at the time of application. Each provider may apply for no more than one grant per CQC registered service location, and must apply to the hub for the local authority whose area includes that location. Providers do not need to have applied for a licence or recruited a skilled worker in order to apply for a grant, however they will have to provide evidence that their licence has been awarded or that they have employed a new skilled worker between 1st April 2023 and 15th March 2024 before a grant will be paid to them.
The application is for providers included in the Kent and Medway Council Districts. Please ensure it is completed in its entirety, double check all details are correct, and do not hesitate to contact recruitment@kica.care or grants@sesca.org.uk if you have any concerns or queries.
