voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
Scottish Social Services Council statement on employment of refugees
Created: 13/01/2023The Scottish Social Services Council and the Care Inspectorate issued a joint statement and guidance for employers on recruiting people with refugee status in December 2022.
People who have been granted asylum and have formal refugee status have a right to work and claim benefits. This includes people from Ukraine, who have been granted the same rights for three years, with support to find work provided by the Refugee Employment Network.
The Scottish Social Services Council and the Care Inspectorate have a clear position on refugee recruitment which will help:
enhance employment opportunities for refugees and enhance equality and diversity
overcome recruitment challenges
enhance fairness and consistency of recruitment practice regarding refugees
uphold our commitment as regulators to support the flexible application of rules for people’s benefit.
Employers should follow this guidance when recruiting people with refugee status for paid or voluntary work in any registered social care service.
You should obtain a minimum of one character reference from the Refugee Council or another suitable UK contact. For Ukrainians visiting as part of the Super Sponsor Scheme, you can get a reference from this organisation.
You should complete a PVG, even for people newly arrived in the UK. Although this may not provide any immediate information it means the person will then be subject to monitoring by PVG.
People you employ should not undertake lone working until successful completion of induction and a satisfactory review of the risk assessment you carried out when you first employed them.
Supervision and support for people you employ should have a particular focus on the standards and values set out in the Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers.
You should be satisfied they have sufficient English language skills or that learning is currently underway.
Scottish Social Services Council has also published an online guide for employers recruiting Ukrainian nationals.
Lorraine Wakefield
Communications Manager
Scottish Social Services Council
[email protected]