Two years on: The CareTech Foundation, building foundations for change

Back in 2022, the health and social care sector consistently ranked as one of the top sectors in which Breaking Barriers clients aspired to work, yet refugees were often finding it challenging to secure employment. 

At the same time, according to Skills for Care, vacancy rates in the care sector in England were at 8.2%, with 105,000 vacancies advertised on average each day. Turnover was also high, at 34.4%.

Breaking Barriers and the CareTech Foundation launched a new partnership to simultaneously reduce high unemployment rates among refugees and decrease high vacancy rates and turnover in the health and social care sector.

Olena’s story

Olena outlines the difference this had made to her life: “After feeling like I was not qualified for anything, my advisor helped me through feelings of being lost by writing an action plan, and opening my mind to the opportunities of working in the mental health care sector.

I worked back in Ukraine as a volunteer coordinator in a mental health organisation, and I was also a youth engagement manager and a volunteer councillor in the same place. 

But when I arrived here, I felt that my English was not enough for the labour market. I was unable to transfer my qualifications and certificates from Ukraine due to the war in my country, and I realised when I arrived that not having experience here is a barrier to getting interviews. I was also not trained to do interviews the way it’s done in the UK.

Mental health issues were a big part of the barriers that I faced. I was not motivated, and I felt stunned and unable to ask for help. Breaking Barriers was able to assist through having an adviser that cared and extended help to me, which in turn allowed me to get motivated again and find employment.

I’m currently working for the West London NHS Trust as an assistant psychological wellbeing practitioner. I started in February and I’m happy and satisfied with this job. During this time my Breaking Barriers adviser and volunteers helped me in interview preparation and CV writing. 

Being assisted by Breaking Barriers opened my eyes to see other opportunities for work and that’s how I ended up getting this position I’m in today.

I loved my experience with Breaking Barriers. For the first time in the UK I felt that someone actually cared about me, cared about my work prospects and guided me towards getting a job and getting on my own two feet. 

I want to continue getting qualifications in my field and become a CBT practitioner. I dream of maybe one day going back to my country and putting to use all the new skills I learned here to help people in Ukraine.”

The bigger picture 

It’s not just individual lives that have been impacted by the partnership. Funding from the CareTech Foundation helped Breaking Barriers to grow our employment support for refugees in London. 

During our two year partnership, we supported 875 people of refugee background in total across the capital, over 40% of whom progressed in employment, education, volunteering or training. 90% told us they had more confidence and motivation to achieve their goals, and 87% had a greater understanding of their preferred job sector.

Almost 50 people of a refugee background took part in activities, such as insight sessions to upskill the Breaking Barriers team and clients in how the health and social care industry works, workshops on how to succeed in this sector, and two bespoke recruitment pathways in London and Manchester. Over 50% of the refugees who took part have already achieved employment, education or training in the health and social care sector.