Customer success story

International Social Workers Stabilise a West Yorkshire Local Authority's Social Care

Comensura worked with a local authority in a city in West Yorkshire that is committed to providing quality social care services to its growing and diverse population of around 546,400 constituents.

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Impact at a glance

Stabilising children's social care through international recruitment. 40 overseas social workers recruited within a 12-month target.

40 social workers

Recruited internationally within the 12-month target

546,400

Constituents served

Region supported

4 teams

Locality teams, each strengthened with 10 new social workers

2 suppliers

Appointed to run a wider global search

Programme impact: Comensura helped this West Yorkshire local authority recruit 40 international social workers across its four locality teams, hitting its 12-month target and easing a long-standing recruitment crisis.

Local AuthorityIndustry

546,400Constituents served

UKRegion supported

The Challenge

An Ofsted 'Inadequate' rating compounded an already difficult recruitment market.

Recruitment for qualified social work positions in the UK social care sector is increasingly challenging. At this local authority, the recruitment difficulties were further exacerbated by an ongoing improvement journey following an 'Inadequate' Ofsted judgment in 2018.

The pressing need was to stabilise the workforce to ensure safe and adequate services for children, young people and families. Overseas recruitment was identified as a potential solution, aiming to recruit 40 qualified social workers within 6-12 months.

The Solution

A targeted overseas recruitment plan, delivered through a trusted supply chain.

Comensura worked closely with the local authority to design a recruitment plan and build a supplier network capable of delivering it at pace.

The plan involved recruiting 10 overseas social workers for each of the four locality teams, in two rounds of recruitment. Given the demographics of the Customer's area, it was beneficial to include Polish, Latvian and Lithuanian social workers, as well as Ukrainians due to recent global events.

Comensura assessed the specialist supply chain, provided comprehensive and relevant proposals, and facilitated Q&A sessions to build trust and understanding with suppliers. Suppliers were evaluated on their ability to provide a phased plan for sourcing, placing and aftercare, including visa facilitation and relocation processes.

Results

All 40 social workers recruited within the 12-month target.

Two suppliers were appointed, each responsible for recruiting 20 social workers, offering a wider global remit and improving the chances of a successful campaign. All 40 workers were identified and accepted within the 12-month target, although the relocation and visa processes required some additional time.

40 social workers

Recruited internationally within the 12-month target

2 suppliers

Each delivering 20 social workers for a wider global remit

A wider global remit

Two suppliers were appointed, each responsible for recruiting 20 social workers, offering a wider global remit and improving the chances of a successful campaign.

A phased, milestone-based payment structure

Suppliers were paid in three key phases — on commission (33%), on offer and acceptance of a minimum of 20 social workers (33%), and on the workers' start date (34%) — with cohort-based onboarding easing administrative effort.

Target met, despite visa and relocation timelines

All 40 workers were identified and accepted within the 12-month target, although the relocation and visa processes required some additional time.

A smoother process where one supplier led on visas

Where one supplier handled visa and relocation efforts, the process proved smoother and less strenuous — a valuable insight for future campaigns.

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