The social care sector should recruit UK-based workers to make up for any shortfall in recruitment instead of relying on immigration, the Home Office has told industry leaders.
In a meeting with the Cavendish Coalition, which last month wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning care homes face a staffing "blackhole" due to proposals for a points-based immigration system, the Home Office confirmed the government would not be creating a migration route to recruit at the legal minimum wage.
Future borders and immigration minister Kevin Foster outlined how the 37 organisations represented by the Cavendish Coalition – which include Care England and National Care Forum - should engage with the Department for Work & Pensions to encourage more UK-based jobseekers into social care.
Details of the meeting were noted by Home Office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford (pictured) in a written Parliamentary answer.
“The government recognises the fantastic contribution made by those working in the social care sector and the need for roles in it to offer rewarding career opportunities,” she said.
“This is especially relevant when many UK based workers with the ability to make excellent social carer workers are looking for new employment due to the economic impact of Covid-19,” she added.
Baroness Williams said the independent Migration Advisory Committee has been “very clear" immigration is "not the answer to the challenges faced in this sector, a view the government shares”.
“As we implement the new immigration system, we want employers to focus on investing in our domestic work force and offering rewarding packages to social care workers, rather than view immigration as an alternative to doing this,” she added.
“In relation to roles within the sector where specific training is required the new skilled worker route will provide for a broader range of roles, including senior care workers to come to the UK.”
