YPO Launch International Recruitment Framework

A first-of-its-kind framework has been launched on June 24th 2025 to provide local authorities across the UK with a compliant and ethical route to market when they undertake overseas recruitment of adults and children’s social workers as part of their overall recruitment strategies.

The new framework - HR and People | International Recruitment of Social Work - 1166 – was developed by public sector buying organisation YPO in partnership with London Councils and the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA) on behalf of the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS).

This unique international recruitment framework has been designed to enable greater consistency, service standards and quality, providing local authorities with a trusted route to market with access to 7 specialist international social work recruitment providers. 

The appointed providers have gone through a comprehensive evaluation process led by the partner group and a panel of local authority experts from HR, recruitment, procurement and international social worker backgrounds, as well as compliance and registration on the NHS Ethical Recruiters List. This ensures all workers brought from overseas are both experienced social workers and have been fully and consistently vetted and supported effectively throughout the process.

The framework is available to local authorities across the UK who may be seeking to explore the international recruitment of adults and children’s social workers as part of their workforce development strategies and require the support of specialist agencies. The design of this YPO framework guarantees uniformity in price structure, stable costs, a single point of contact for local recruitment activity and a consistently high standard of service through pre-agreed terms and conditions. 

This framework is the second phase of a recruitment framework development programme, with the launch of a domestic permanent recruitment framework launch in August 2023 - YPO’s Framework for London in Permanent Children’s Social Work Recruitment (FLiP) as part of a collaborative regional workforce programme. Hiring Managers from London Borough of Brent who have successfully recruited Social Workers through the FLiP framework said that;

“Working via FLiP meant that there would be tailored recruitment and vetting which gave us confidence that all shortlisted candidates would have all the requirements for the roles. This saved a lot and time and made for more lucrative shortlisting or candidates being progressed to interview stage. The calibre of the candidates were good and came with a wealth of experience and skills that matched the needs of our service”

Service Manager - LAC and Head of Service – LAC, Brent Council

Throughout the design and development of this new international recruitment framework, YPO, London Councils and the London Innovation & Improvement Alliance (LIIA) have integrated lessons learned from the FLiP framework and led a series of activities to facilitate best practice sharing among local authorities throughout; bringing together organisations from across the UK to explore effective overseas recruitment campaigns and retention success, promoting cultural integration and supporting overseas candidates to integrate into their local communities. 

YPO look forward to continuing to work with local authorities on their journey to workforce stability and sufficiency.

Steve Davies, HR Director and Regional Employers Secretary for London Councils:

"When local authorities seek to incorporate international recruitment as part of their recruitment and retention efforts across adults and children’s social work, it is crucial to ensure that their efforts are compliant, ethical and cost-effective, exemplifying best practice. By providing this co-designed and developed route to market for international recruitment we can achieve value for money while ensuring the high quality of service that our communities rely on. This framework support local level staffing needs, while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our social worker workforce and the services provided." 

Julie Kelly, Corporate Director for Children and Young Peoples Services at London Borough of Hillingdon and ALDCS Workforce Lead:

"International recruits are valuable members of our workforce and our local communities.  By closely engaging with the market, stakeholders and international recruits as part of this framework design and development we have been able to collaboratively design a solution that speaks directly to the needs of both client and candidate to ensure best recruitment practice, ethical processes and consistency of market engagement. This framework is a welcome addition to the suite of workforce developments that has benefitted from expert input and a unified approach that highlights our shared commitment to providing high quality services for our communities, and a positive experience for our international recruits. 

Michelle Walker – Head of Procurement:

"The second phase of this partnership between YPO, London Councils and the London Innovation & Improvement Alliance demonstrates the commitment to providing compliant routes for local authorities who are considering international recruitment and agency engagement as part of wider workforce development strategies. Through facilitating best practice sharing and resources, checklists and workshops, the partner group aim to drive successful outcomes for both local authorities and internationally recruited candidates."