The Synergy Group said that the reduced number of sponsorship visas allocated to skilled migrant workers has closed the door to qualified people willing to fill vacant social work positions.
The agency argues that in imposing the restrictions between July 2010 and March 2011, the government has put the welfare of thousands of children in the UK at risk due to the severe shortage of child protection officers.
Richard Evans, The Synergy Group’s international recruitment manager, said: "Across five of the councils we are currently working with to recruit overseas permanent child protection social workers there are around 120 open vacancies.
"When you consider that there are 152 local authorities in England, this could mean that in over 3,000 child protection officer roles are currently unfilled, or more shockingly, that an estimated 45,000 children are without an officer allocated to them."
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