The Hub : Recruitment and retention

Are you thinking about a job in care?

You’d be surprised how naturally qualified you might be for a job in care – because being a great carer is all about your personal qualities, such as empathy, respect, patience and kindness.

a social care worker and gentleman speaking together If this sounds like the kind of person you are, and you’d like to make a real difference to people’s lives, here are some options to get your career in social care started;

There is a national recruitment site which is free for you to register to become a care worker and help change lives on the Joinsocialcare website

Apply for adult social care roles at Kent County Council (KCC). Working in the council's adult social services team, you will enjoy an attractive benefits package and training opportunities to help you achieve your potential. KCC invests in adult social care employees to give them the right skills and experience to provide a first class service to the people of Kent. View vacancies on the council website.
Contact us and ask about starting a career in care and we can offer you specific advice KentRegisteredManager@kent.gov.uk

Useful information and news

Have You Thought About an Apprenticeship in Social Care?
There are a variety of apprenticeship opportunities within the care sector, including many which are not care specific such as administration, hospitality, maintenance, catering and much more.

If you want to be an apprentice, hire an apprentice or support an apprentice then check out the information below.

Resources:

Kent CC shares it’s apprenticeship levy to support providers to fund their apprentices – find out more here which also explains how to apply for funding.
Kent Choices website provides information for employers on employing an apprentice and also information for those who wish to apply for an apprenticeship role.
View Case Studies - This short video by Skills for care highlights the role of four apprentices in social care. Hear from Hayley, Tom, Rebecca and Jamie
General information on apprenticeship levy funding can be found here
You can also view a webinar on the benefits to your organisation in offering placements to support your recruitment and retention plans.
Here are five different Kent apprenticeship stories from providers to show how beneficial taking on an apprentice can be.
Meet Holly Level 3 Data Business Insights Apprenticeship
Meet Ken Foundation Degree Nursing Associate Apprentice
Meet Lola HR Recruitment Apprentice Level 3 Apprentice
Meet Lucy Facilities Service Operative Apprentice
Meet Ruby Care Worker Apprenticeship

A nursing associate is a new member of the nursing family who provides care for people in health and social care settings. It has been created to bridge the skills gap between care assistants and registered nurses. Once qualifed, a level 5 nursing associate will be registered on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register and can remain in the nursing associate role or continue training to become a fully qualified nurse. This role is only being used and regulated in England and the training is fully funded via the apprenticeship levy with additional HEE funding for organisations to support their TNA in the workplace.

A number of Nursing Homes in Kent have already taken up this opportunity and to date we have nearly 20 care workers currently on the nursing associate program which is delivered by Canterbury Christchurch University.

Resources:

You can find out more about the role on the Skills for Care website.
For information on local programs please enquire by emailing nursingassociate@kent.gov.uk

New DHSC Recruitment Campaign has Launched

The new adult social care recruitment campaign - Make care your career - has launched to support you to recruit new and quality care staff.

The brand-new campaign will reach millions of people across England, showcasing the amazing work that care workers do with an aim of increasing interest in care roles.

The campaign will drive job seekers to our website – adultsocialcare.co.uk – to find out how they can begin a career in care and search for roles in their local area.

The campaign in detail

The campaign will be live throughout February and March, and can be seen across the following channels:

TV and online
Our new TV advert, which you can watch here, will appear on TV, as well as catch-up and streaming services. Channels include ITV, Channel 4, Sky and Disney+. Adverts will also appear on YouTube and other websites.

Radio
Listen out for Make care your career adverts running across some of the nation’s favourite radio stations, such as Kiss, Heart, Capital and Hits Radio. They’ll also appear on Spotify and other digital audio services.

Social media
A range of posts will be served to users of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. Some of these adverts and posts feature our ambassadors; six care professionals who’ve created authentic content about their real experience of working in care.

You can repost these on your own channels.

Recruitment sites

We’ve partnered with some of the country’s biggest jobs boards to promote care careers to those seeking a new job in other sectors.

Media partnerships

We’ve partnered with Buzzfeed for the second year to showcase adult social care. They’re producing brand new videos, a quiz and advertising on their hugely popular website and social media channels.

We’ll also have an episode dedicated to adult social care careers on the podcast Careers Happiness, which will launch in March.

Helping with your Recruitment

You could benefit from our recruitment drive by doing a few simple things:

Advertise a job on DWP’s ‘Find a job’

Any adult social care jobs posted to Find a Job will pull through onto our website, which is being highly promoted during the campaign.

We have a comprehensive guide to upload jobs on our website.

Plan your local recruitment activity using our free resources

Use our toolkit and free, downloadable resources on our website to build on the awareness generated by the national campaign. The campaign toolkit is your guide to using and adapting the resources available to encourage potential recruits in your local area to apply for jobs.

Share our posts on social media

Keep a look out on Facebook and Instagram, as we’ll be posting lots of content over the next few months, which you can share and repost.

Any questions?

If you have a query about anything related to the Make care your career campaign, get in touch with our team by emailing adultsocialcarecampaign@dhsc.gov.uk and we will be happy to help.

South East Social Care Alliance - International Recruitment Hub
Skills for Care - Funded recruitment and development initiatives
Skills for Care - A positive culture toolkit

Connect to Work Program

Kent County Council is the Accountable Body for this voluntary Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) programme working closely with Medway Council

This program is aimed at supporting those with a disability, mental health concern, long term health condition or other significant life barrier to find or stay in meaningful work and is different to traditional models as it focuses on working with employers to place participants into work at the earliest opportunity and providing ongoing support to help them succeed.

Unlike traditional models that may emphasise extensive pre-employment training, supported employment integrates job-seeking and in-work support, ensuring that participants can start working quickly while receiving the necessary assistance to overcome barriers. This approach not only helps individuals gain employment but also empowers them to maintain their jobs and thrive in the workplace

This leaflet explains who is eligible for the program participants and referral partners
This leaflet explains the benefit to employers and has contact details to register your interest in taking part in this opportunity which is FREE.

Are You Aware of Skills Bootcamps?

Skills Bootcamps can help your workers & volunteers develop new skills to support them in their role. They’re a great opportunity for workers to upskill and progress in their current role. Bootcamps are DfE funded opportunities provided by local trainers in Kent & Medway.

What Bootcamps are available?

We have 3 training providers locally supporting this program each providing 1 or more of the following:

Working in Health and Social Care
Level 3 award - End of Life Care
Level 3 award – Awareness of Dementia
Understanding the Principles of Dementia Care
Understanding the Safe Handling of Medication
Principles of End of Life Care

What next?

This attached chart has more details on what each training provider is offering, if any contribution is required plus links to further information or to express interest and submit enquiries.

Last updated: 11/03/2026