Welcome to the latest International Recruitment Bulletin.

While 2026 has begun with some challenges for international recruitment across the West Midlands – including a rise in sponsor licence revocations which has left a number of international care workers displaced – the response across the region has demonstrated the strength of partnership working.

Local authorities, care providers and workforce partners continue to collaborate to try to support workers, strengthen ethical recruitment, and ensure international care workers remain valued members of the adult social care workforce.

In this issue, we highlight success stories from international care workers, introduce our new Share Your Story feature, and share wellbeing and safeguarding resources. We also provide updates on workforce strategy developments, insights from regional data, and the West Midlands response to the Government’s Earned Settlement consultation. Alongside this, you’ll find guidance for providers on compliance, information on free legal and HR support, updates on job-matching for displaced workers, and examples of enhanced support offers from local authorities.