Grant Application

South East region international recruitment grant scheme

The application period for 2023/2024 funding has now ended. Details of future International Recruitment funding opportunities will be updated on our website in due course.

The Government made funding available to support international recruitment into the adult social care sector during the 2023-24 financial year. In the South East region, this funded a scheme to help CQC registered providers finance their international recruitment endeavours. SESCA was successful in allocating over 1,250 grants of £1,500 to providers.

Application process

Any provider wishing to apply for a grant should first check that they meet the scheme eligibility criteria: South East Region International Recruitment Grant Scheme – Grant Conditions

Grants are being distributed via four hubs, run by the Care Associations in Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire and Sussex, and providers must apply to the correct hub:

Application forms

Please click on the hub that is responsible for your local authority area below, to access the correct application form below:

Hampshire

Kent

Oxfordshire

Sussex

NOTE: Applications submitted to the wrong hub will be rejected and will need to be resubmitted to the correct hub.

The application form is straightforward to complete, requiring CQC registration details and information relating to previous international recruitment experience.

Applications will be checked by the receiving hub and a response will be issued to the email address supplied within 14 days (providers are advised to check their spam/junk folders).

In the event that an application is rejected, providers can contact the appropriate hub to appeal the decision. Appeals can be escalated to the central SESCA International Recruitment Project Team, who will make the final decision.

Should a provider’s circumstances change, following an unsuccessful application, they will need to submit a new application.

Claiming a grant

Successful providers will receive a confirmation email, notifying them that they qualify for a grant/s. The awarding hub will then allocate the £1,500 grant/s to their application. Grants will only be issued upon the submission of a claim, with supporting evidence, prior to 15th March 2024.

The confirmation email will provide instructions on how to make a claim. In summary, claims must be emailed to the appropriate hub, via an official company email address, including the following information:

Provider name and CQC location ID
Date of successful application (not any previous applications)
Date of either:
- award of a new Sponsor Licence
- allocation of Certificate of Sponsorship/s to new overseas employee/s
PDF copies of the above

Details for the individual within the organisation whom the hub should contact to obtain bank details
Statement confirming that the provider:
- consents to having contact details shared with Project Evaluation Team, and acknowledges that they may be approached by the team at any time for feedback
- will cooperate with any spot checks carried out by the hub, in order to meet compliance requirements
- will abide by the grant conditions.

NOTE: Claims received which do not include all necessary information will be rejected and the provider will be asked to resubmit.

Timescales

Grant claims can be made as soon as a provider receives confirmation of a successful application, and are able to evidence that they have been awarded a Sponsorship Licence, or that they have allocated a CoS to an overseas worker, after 31st March 2023.

Claims must be received by midday on 15th March 2024. Payments will be made between 2 and 4 weeks from receipt of claim (subject to scheduled payment runs).

Claims received after midday on Friday 15th March 2024 will unfortunately not be paid, regardless of the cause of the delay (including Home Office processing delays).

Any questions relating to the grant scheme should be addressed to the appropriate hub or to the SESCA International Recruitment Project Team at: grants@sesca.org.uk