International recruitment has provided important relief to the social care sector at a time of high vacancies. But it has also come with significant cost. For some workers, the experience brought opportunity and stability. For others, it exposed them to exploitation, insecurity, and dependence on emergency support. For the sector itself, it highlighted both the possibilities of innovation and the fragility of the care market.

Crucially, many of these issues are not unique to international care workers. When unethical practices or poor employment conditions exist, they often affect the domestic workforce too. The lessons learned here can therefore help improve fairness, support, and sustainability for everyone working in care.

What international care workers want us to learn

The voices of international care workers are clear. They want us to:

• Learn what it means to welcome people properly – with housing, language support, and community integration.
• Learn what ethical recruitment looks like in practice – so no worker is left vulnerable or unsupported.
• Learn how to carry forward the best of this infrastructure – data, partnerships, and support systems – to shape a workforce that is stronger, fairer, and more sustainable.

These are lessons not just for international programmes, but for all recruitment into social care. Domestic workers, too, benefit from fair pay, ethical employment, and a sense of belonging in their communities.

Capturing the impact

At the start of the programme, knowledge of international recruitment was minimal. Over time, the West Midlands has built:

• Technical and legal expertise across councils and providers.
• Clearer understanding of compliance and ethical practices.
• Trusted platforms and processes that enabled remote interviews, wider reach, and more reliable recruitment.
• Partnerships that proved resilient, collaborative, and capable of scaling support even in the face of uncertainty.

These developments transformed international recruitment in the region: from a standing start to a trusted, responsive, and collaborative system.

They also demonstrated how shared learning and partnership approaches can strengthen the wider care workforce infrastructure, improving recruitment and retention at every level.

What worked well – and what can we improve?

Some of the most effective elements included bringing providers together to share knowledge, deploying digital platforms such as Lifted and MyUKLife, and building local partnerships that enriched the experience and enables face-to-face opportunities for employers and workers alike.

But the lessons are also clear:

• Filling workforce gaps through international recruitment alone is not sustainable.
• The sector must now apply these lessons to wider workforce challenges.
• Pay, conditions, training, onboarding, ethical employment, and retention all need urgent attention.

The same principles that ensured ethical treatment and strong support for international workers must underpin how we value and retain our domestic care workforce.

Innovations worth carrying forward for wider workforce

Many of the tools developed for international care workers could be – and in some cases already have been – adapted for the wider workforce:

• Buddying and peer support to help staff feel included and valued.
• Digital and AI platforms to improve recruitment efficiency and give workers more choice.
• Community integration models to strengthen relationships between workers, providers, and local services.

Initiatives such as mental health support, wellbeing check-ins, and community health events have been particularly welcomed by international recruits – and these are exactly the kinds of supports that our wider care workforce would also find valuable. Extending these practices across the workforce could help reduce stress, improve retention, and promote a greater sense of belonging for everyone.

The role of partnerships

Partnerships were the lifeblood of the programme. From Citizens Advice and community organisations to faith groups and housing teams, these collaborations expanded reach and trust. The Refugee and Migrant Centre provided vital wraparound support, while partnerships with groups like Tulia and Maximus ensured harder-to-reach communities were not left behind.

These relationships should not end with the programme. They can and should shape the future of workforce development, embedding a community-centred approach that values integration and wellbeing as much as compliance and placements.

Moving forward

The real value of the International Recruitment Programme 2024-25 and its Learning and Evaluation Report lies not only in capturing impact, but in making sure lessons are applied to the workforce challenges ahead.

International recruitment has shown what is possible when councils, providers, and communities step up together. Now we must extend that same commitment and learning to the entire social care workforce – recognising that fairness, belonging, and ethical practice are universal needs.

By embedding these lessons across the whole sector, we can build a workforce that is resilient, inclusive, and sustainable for the long term – wherever its people come from.

Read the final 2024-25 International Recruitment Programme Learning & Evaluation Report to explore the lessons in detail and how they can shape the future of care.