People in Places: A Qualitative Exploration of Recruitment Agencies' Perspectives on the Employment of International Social Workers in the UK

Hussein, Shereen; Manthorpe, Jill; Stevens, Martin

doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcn131

Cited by 44 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Grounded theory methods guided analysis of the individual interviews, given that this is a largely under-theorized field of study: with the exception of a team of researchers in the United Kingdom (see Hussein, Manthorpe & Stevens, 2010; and in New Zealand (see ) the experiences of social workers who migrate, their professional adaptation processes, and the many changes in perception they undergo while adapting to new cultural and organizational contexts, have not been well conceptualized and theorized in the literature (Pullen Sansfaç on, Brown & Graham, 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Complicated Welcome: Social Workers Navigate Policy, Organizational Contexts and Socio-Cultural Dynamics Following Migration to Canada

Brown¹,

Sansfaçon

Éthier

et al. 2014

International Journal of Social Science Studies

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Canada prides itself on a reputation of being a welcoming and inclusive country, promoting a collective pride in upholding a multicultural mosaic wherein a rich diversity of ethnicities, cultures and religions co-exist. A priority of the Canadian federal government is the attraction and retention of skilled foreign workers into the labour market, and social workers have been targeted for this government initiative. Alluring though this ideal picture may be, the experiences of forty-four migrant social workers who undertook their social work education outside Canada and currently practice social work in Canada suggest significant barriers on the levels of policy, organizational context and socio-cultural dynamics. On the level of policy, participants navigated processes for immigration, recognition of foreign credentials, and licensure with the provincial regulatory body. On the level of organizational context, participants faced a range of challenges in securing social work employment. On the level of socio-cultural dynamics, participants detail the many interactive subtleties experienced as they sought to "fit in" in order to connect with their new colleagues and communities. Analysis draws on the concepts of institutional and embodied cultural capital as the means though which social status is differentially available for these migrant social workers, based on the ascribed value of their citizenship characteristics, educational preparation, and practice experience. These forms of capital facilitate mobility by enabling access to opportunities and the tools to acquire status and entry to a particular class, that of the social work practitioner in Canada.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Complicated Welcome: Social Workers Navigate Policy, Organizational Contexts and Socio-Cultural Dynamics Following Migration to Canada

Brown¹,

Sansfaçon

Éthier

et al. 2014

International Journal of Social Science Studies

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“…Some" participants" felt" that" workers" from" the" EU" accession" countries" (A8)" were" more" likely" to" change" jobs" than" others;" for" example," workers" who" were" subject" to" immigrations" rules" and" required" a" visa," such" as" those" from" the" Philippines" or" countries" in" Africa," were" seen" as" less" mobile"and"to"work"even"harder,"not"only"to"keep"their"job"but"also"to"reimburse" recruitment" or" placing" agencies." These" views" were" consistent" with" those" of" national"recruitment"agencies"and"policy"stakeholders"(see "Hussein,"Manthorpe" and" Stevens" 2010b" confirming" research" related" to" other"labour"migrants" (Wills,"2009)."" " In"the"study"sites"interviews,"more"than"100"references"were"made"(in"around"75" separate" interviewees," across" various" participant" groups)" to" the" effect" that" migrant"workers"were"'hard<working'.…”

Section: Findings!mentioning

confidence: 65%

“…"In"this"article"we"focus"on"the"analysis"of"interviews"with"101" employers," human" resource" managers," UK<born" frontline" workers" and" care" recipients"in"the"six"study"sites,"in"relation"to"the"recruiting"of"migrant"workers" to" the" sector." The" findings" are" set" in" context" of" the" results" of" 35" interviews" seeking" perspectives" from" policy" makers," sector" representatives," and" recruitment"agencies" (Hussein,"Manthorpe"and"Stevens"2010b" as" well" as" emerging" research" on" migrant" care" workers." Table" 1" provides" a" breakdown" by" participant" group" of" the" interviews" included" in" the" current"analysis.""…”

Section: Data)analysis)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three" main" themes" arise" in" relation" to" targeting" specific" groups:" one" related" to" language" skills;" the" second" to" specific" knowledge" of" the" culture"of"minority"groups;"and"the"third,"general"cultural"exchange."" " When" employers" talked" about" targeting" a" specific" group" this" usually" related" to" particular" severe" shortages," such" as" occupational" therapists" or" senior" care" workers" who" had" been" recruited" specifically" (Hussein," Manthorpe" and" Stevens" 2010b). "However,"a"minority"of"employers"had"addressed"the"need"for"a"diverse" workforce" to" meet" the" needs" of" the" local" community."…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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What Drives the Recruitment of Migrant Workers to Work in Social Care in England?

Hussein

Stevens

Manthorpe

2011

Social Policy & Society

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This article outlines the reasons for the recruitment of migrant workers by the adult care sector in England, as revealed by participants in a multi-method study. The background to the study is the changing socio-demographic profile of the social care workforce, notably the employment of non-UK citizens in large numbers from outside traditional recruitment sources within the British Commonwealth. The article reports on 136 individual interviews with different stakeholders from the English social care sector undertaken in 2008–2009. Drawing on a theoretical framework developed during the first phase of the study, the analysis revealed a two-fold explanation of the demand for migrant workers in the English care sector. First, to fill specific staff vacancies, either through direct recruitment of workers from outside the UK or among those already in the UK; and, second, a more strategic, but less common, decision to recruit migrants with specific characteristics. The implications for social policy are set in the context of political concerns about migration and concurrent political aspirations to improve social care through resolving recruitment difficulties.

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“…Research on the professional migration and adaptation of social workers has been increasing in volume internationally over the past decade Beddoe & Fouche, 2014;Brown et al, 2015;Fouche, Beddoe, Bartley, & de Haan, 2014a;Fouche, Beddoe, Bartley, & Brenton, 2014b;Hussein, Manthorpe, & Stevens, 2010;Hussein, Manthorpe, & Stevens, 2011a;Hussein, Stevens, Manthorpe, & Moriarty, 2011b;Hussein, 2014;Moriarty, Hussein, Manthorpe, & Stevens, 2012;Pullen-Sansfaçon, Spolander, & Engelbrecht, 2011;Pullen-Sansfaçon et al, 2012;Pullen-Sansfaçon et al, 2014a;Pullen-Sansfaçon et al, 2014b;Simpson, 2009;Sims, 2012;Walsh, Wilson, & O'Connor, 2010;Welbourne et al, 2007). The existing Canadian literature reveals that the transnational mobility of social workers interfaces with the Canadian labour market at several critical junctures including pursuing credential recognition, engaging in the job seeking process, and adapting to daily realities and required tasks within the new practice context once employment has been secured (Brown et al, 2015;Fang, 2012;Pullen-Sansfaçon et al, 2012).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migrant Social Workers, Foreign Credential Recognition and Securing Employment in Canada

Fulton¹,

Pullen-Sansfaçon²,

Brown³

et al. 2016

cswr

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Canada is a culturally diverse receiving country for transnational migration, and social workers are among the professional migrants who arrive in Canada each year. This article draws on findings from a four-year, grounded theory study on the professional adaptation processes and experiences of migrant social workers (n = 66) in the Canadian context. Study findings highlight a range of internal (personal) attributes and external (contextual) elements that interact to serve as either protective or vulnerabilizing factors during the pre-employment phase of professional adaptation. The focus of this article is to describe the interactions of protective and vulnerabilizing factors associated with the experience of obtaining recognition of foreign credentials and securing employment as a social worker in Canada. The findings demonstrate that migrant social workers in Canada face significant barriers in these two pre-employment phases of professional adaptation. A range of research and policy implications is identified. In particular, we highlight the disconnect that exists between Canada’s migration-friendly policies, and the lack of organizational and governmental supports and services to facilitate successful labour market integration of migrant social workers.

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People in Places: A Qualitative Exploration of Recruitment Agencies' Perspectives on the Employment of International Social Workers in the UK

Cited by 44 publications

References 13 publications

A Complicated Welcome: Social Workers Navigate Policy, Organizational Contexts and Socio-Cultural Dynamics Following Migration to Canada

A Complicated Welcome: Social Workers Navigate Policy, Organizational Contexts and Socio-Cultural Dynamics Following Migration to Canada

What Drives the Recruitment of Migrant Workers to Work in Social Care in England?

Migrant Social Workers, Foreign Credential Recognition and Securing Employment in Canada

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