Care worker leaves children in Zimbabwe to become care home group's 100th overseas care worker

A care worker has left her children behind in Zimbabwe to take up a job in care in the UK, becoming Caring Homes' 100th overseas care worker.

L-R - Catherine Martin with Mwarianesu Taderera and Katie McGovern Credit: Caring Homes Group.

Caring Homes’ latest recruit, Mwarianesu Taderera from Zimbabwe was welcomed with flowers at her new place of work Mellish House Residential Home.

Ms Taderera said: “It means a lot to me leaving my children miles back in Zimbabwe but I want my efforts and contributions to add value to the Caring Homes with the help of my fellow workers.

“Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Many thanks to the Caring Homes Support Office team and Hillside and Mellish teams for the warm and loving 100th welcome. I feel very privileged and grateful to be given this opportunity to join Caring Homes.”

Brexit and Covid have left care homes struggling to recruit care staff. However new rules that came into force on 16 February this year mean care home and home care providers can now employ care workers from overseas through the visa sponsorship process.

For a temporary period of 12 months, care workers have been added to the UK’s Shortage Occupation List and are eligible for Health and Care visas.

The visa makes them exempt from the Immigration Health surcharge and their employer needs to hold a valid sponsorship licence.

Last December, Caring Homes Group applied to the Home Office for their first certificate of sponsorship and once granted, the recruitment team began recruiting from overseas.

Catherine Martin, head of recruitment at Caring Homes Group said: "This initiative is not just about changing the lives of our residents but also changing our new carers' lives too. Some of the HCSWs (healthcare support workers) have left their families behind to create a new life for themselves in the UK and Mwarianesu is no exception."

One of the biggest challenges for overseas colleagues is homesickness. In a bid to help individuals settle in, Caring Homes ensure all new employees receive a new mobile phone, and a sim card with pre-loaded credit so they can contact their friends and family back home.

“I am extremely proud of the recruitment team and the success we have had with overseas healthcare support workers,” says Ms Martin.

“Landing our 100th HCSW in four months is a fantastic achievement and having the opportunity to meet our new employees, whether at the airport or within our homes, really gives us that person-centred approach.”

Ms Martin said: “The recruitment team’s tireless efforts to implement the HCSW role and focus on recruiting candidates has enabled Caring Homes to access a huge pool of talented candidates who have become invaluable members of their team.

“We now have a very strong pipeline of candidates and are delighted to be able to offer many great opportunities from people across the world.”

For tips on recruiting foreign care worker visas and applying for visas click here

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