West Sussex hiring 'highly qualified' social workers from abroad

During a meeting of the full council on Friday (May 27), Amanda Jupp, cabinet member for adults services, told councillors that offers had been made to 11 social workers, who were due to start arriving from mid-June.

Mrs Jupp said: “They are all highly qualified social workers and come with a wealth of experience.”

The group, who also come from India, South Africa and the Caribbean, will take up posts across the county, joining community, hospital, learning disability and mental health teams.

Mrs Jupp told the meeting that the new arrivals would be ‘buddied’ with other social workers from overseas to help them integrate.

They will start on a three-year visa, with the opportunity to extend it for another two years before being able to apply for the right to remain in the country.

The council plans to recruit a similar number of occupational therapists from overseas later this year.

While the news about the new recruits was welcomed, questions were asked about the safeguarding checks being carried out before they took up their posts.

Mrs Jupp said an agency was used to carry out the checks, while the social workers would have to register with Social Care England and go through a ‘thorough training programme’ managed by the council.

She added: “These social workers are thoroughly experienced. They’ve been working in their countries for a number of years.

“They will have all the right qualifications and they will have been checked.”