Brent: Recruitment drives have injected new skills and ideas

In 2015, this saw 10 workers from southern Africa, mainly South Africa and Zimbabwe, join the authority. In 2019, 10 workers joined from India and in 2021, a further nine were taken on from southern Africa.

Southern Africa has been a popular source of recruits due to similarities in legal systems and training, says the London borough’s strategic director of children and young people Nigel Chapman.

In 2021, a small number of staff were recruited from the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Jamaica, which – as Commonwealth countries – also have similarities to the UK.

This year, a further recruitment drive will take place in India, an obvious place to go given the fact people of Indian heritage make up a fifth of Brent’s population.

 “This helps them settle in. The other benefit to us is having staff that speak the relevant languages and understand cultural needs and differences within those communities,” says Chapman.

Many overseas recruits have experience of working for charities in their home countries and have developed valuable skills that can be put to good use in Brent.

“It gives them a resourcefulness and ability to think creatively and come up with fresh ideas,” says Chapman.

The council supports overseas recruits with a relocation package, including the cost of flights, a month’s rent, deposit on accommodation, paying for visas and registration documents and a setting up home allowance. This “helps them get off the ground”, says Chapman.

In addition, the authority offers subsidised rent to its key workers, including overseas workers, as soon as they arrive.

From the cohort recruited in 2019, seven social workers remain with the council while eight of the 2021 intake are still in post.