From Parliament to Action: Tresacare Calls for Protection for Displaced Care Workers

On July 15th, I had the opportunity to speak to Liberal Democrat parliamentarians at a parliamentary roundtable on Pathways to Citizenship, hosted in collaboration with Citizens UK.

I was there on behalf of Tresacare and the Humans Not Commodities campaign, to bring an issue we see every day into Parliament: what happens to the thousands of international care workers who have come to the UK legally, worked hard, and are now left in limbo through no fault of their own?

The answer cannot simply be that they disappear.

A workforce already under pressure

England currently has around 131,000 vacant care posts, and the sector will need an estimated 470,000 additional workers by 2040.

International recruitment has been an important part of meeting that need. Since 2022, more than 220,000 people have come to the UK on Health and Care Worker visas.

We welcome action against unethical employers. Since 2022, more than 470 care providers have had their sponsor licences revoked, and stronger enforcement is essential to protecting workers.

But there is another side to this story.

An estimated 40,000 care workers have been displaced following these licence revocations. Many are unable to work, unable to access benefits and facing the risk of destitution – despite having done nothing wrong.

Government has invested £43.5 million in regional hubs to help displaced workers find new employment. Yet Freedom of Information data shows that just 3.4% have successfully found new work.

Our experience tells a very different story. Working in partnership with SESCA, Tresacare has supported displaced workers back into employment with a 90% success rate.

The workers are there. The need is there. And we know that effective support can work.

“They do not simply disappear”

One of the concerns I raised with parliamentarians was what happens when funding for regional support hubs ends in April 2027.

Displaced care workers do not simply disappear.

Without effective pathways back into employment, many risk being pushed into the shadow economy – becoming increasingly vulnerable and harder for public services to reach. The consequences will ultimately be felt by local authorities, communities and the wider care system.

As I told the room:

“These are people who came legally, because this country asked them to come. And now we are turning them away.”

For me, this is ultimately about fairness. These workers came to the UK through legal routes. They built their lives here, paid taxes, cared for vulnerable people and became part of their communities. When circumstances change through no fault of their own, we need a system that helps them rebuild – not one that leaves them stranded.

Two practical asks

Alongside Humans Not Commodities, we brought two specific asks to parliamentarians:

1. Build local partnerships.We asked Liberal Democrat MPs to work with Liberal Democrat-run councils to develop joined-up approaches between local authorities, care providers and community organisations to support displaced workers.

2. Plan for what happens next.We asked MPs to press the Minister for Care on what support will be available after the current regional hub funding ends in April 2027.

These are practical steps. They are also achievable.

A room willing to listen

I was encouraged by the response from the parliamentarians in the room. Manuela Perteghella MP co-chaired the roundtable, and Allison Bennett MP – whom we invited directly – also attended and has expressed an openness to continuing the conversation.

There were thoughtful questions about what displacement means for families, how children are affected when a parent loses sponsorship, and what happens at local authority level when government-funded support comes to an end.

Following the meeting, MPs asked Tresacare and Humans Not Commodities to submit our asks in writing, alongside further evidence on the impact of displacement on families.

That gives us something concrete to build on.

The workers are here. The model works.

We don't need to reinvent the wheel. We need to connect the organisations already doing the work, strengthen the support available to displaced workers, and make sure there is a clear pathway forward when government funding changes.

As I said at the roundtable:

“The need is there. The workers are there. The model works. We just need you to act.”

At Tresacare, we will keep showing up – bringing care workers' experiences into these conversations and working with government, local authorities and sector partners to turn those conversations into action.

Because these workers came here to care for our communities.

Now, we need to make sure our communities care for them.