Migrant workers In social care

Over recent years we have been working to support organisations with recruitment challenges. Recently members have raised issues relating to how best to ensure that initiatives to recruit migrant workers are effective. In response we are undertaking a scoping exercise to explore how migrant workers are involved within the social care workforce.

Our goal is to document good practice in the recruitment, selection and retention of migrant workers, especially in learning disability services, but also in the wider social care workforce. We intend to develop a practical guide which will highlight successful strategies for inclusion that can be used by employers to ensure that the highest possible standards are met.

You can get involved in a number of ways

If you have experience of recruiting, supervising, managing or mentoring migrant workers we would like to invite you to take part in a focus group on Tuesday 24 June, 10-11am at NICVA, Duncairn Gardens, Belfast.

We would also like to speak to individual migrant workers to gain an insight into their experiences. We would like organisations to nominate workers to attend a focus group on Tuesday 24 June, 11.15am-12.00pm.

Alternatively, your employees can participate in one to one interviews on the same day, between 12pm-3.00pm. Each interview will last about 20 minutes. I would be grateful if individuals could contact Suzanne Thompson on 028 9075 1454 to arrange an interview time or confirm attendance at the focus groups.

You can also complete an online questionnaire at www.science.ulster.ac.uk/nursing/migrant

We are aware that a number of organisations have been extremely successful in involving migrant workers and have developed tools to promote their integration within the wider workforce. We would like to gather these resources and share them for the benefit of services, employees and service users. Do you have examples of good practice and success stories that you would like to share with us?

We believe this is an important piece of work at a time when many services are facing a recruitment crisis. We hope this is something you will be able to support.

Time is very tight as we need to complete the study by the end of June.

If you require further information, please contact Suzanne Thompson on 028 9075 1454 or at poise.research@caresector.net