The brief was uncompromising. So was our approach.

Placed in 11 weeks: a male support worker with a forces background, in a rural village where the pool is small. Case Manager, JSP.

What was the situation?

A former soldier with complex needs, living alone in a small village in rural Scotland. He needed day-to-day support with his routine, his appointments and getting out of the house, from a male support worker who could drive, keep up with him physically, hold a proper conversation, and understand the military world he came from.

His sister had been carrying much of the support and was stretched. He had struggled to trust and settle support before, so getting the right person first time mattered.

Why was this a hard brief?

• A male support worker in a rural village, where the pool is small to begin with and only around 27% of the care workforce is male.
• Low hours in a remote spot, which makes the role a hard sell to most applicants.
• A particular sort of person: active, confident, fairly direct, ideally with a forces background.
• A man who had struggled to trust support before, so we had to get it right from the outset.

It is not a brief a job advert tends to solve on its own. It needs someone working a small pool by hand, and screening on the things that actually matter to him.

What did we do?

We spoke with the Case Manager and the people around him to understand the person, not just the job description. He needed someone who would challenge him, not just keep him company.

We ran a targeted campaign and worked applications out of hours to stay ahead of a small pool, screening everyone on the practical requirements and the values that mattered most to him.

The person we put forward was local, a driver, active and direct, with a forces background of his own, so he understood where the client had come from, and they shared a few interests the client warmed to. His own childcare commitments meant the low, awkward hours that put others off actually suited him.

The Case Manager met him, introduced him to the client, and offered him the role.

What was the outcome?

He was offered the role 11 weeks after we picked up the brief. The Case Manager confirmed she was not taking other candidates forward and asked us to pause the search. He started shortly after.

“We have offered him the role. I liked the way he related to the client.”

Case Manager, JSP

That is how the screening is meant to work: it happens before anyone reaches the client, not after. Across our placements, around 80% of the people we take to a meet-and-greet are offered the role.

Why does fit come first?

Having a stranger come into someone’s home is a big deal, and we get that. Whether that person fits is the foundation everything else is built on, because trust is built on human connection, not qualifications.

What made this placement work was how he met the client on his own terms: direct without being confrontational, steady, and easy to be around. That is what let him lower his guard.

It matters because the support worker spends more hours with him than anyone else in the team. Get that person right and it can change someone’s life. Get it wrong and the placement breaks, and the client’s trust with it. That is the part we take on, so the case manager does not have to.

What did it cost?

Here is how our fee compares with a standard percentage-based permanent placement fee.

The perm agency figure is an illustrative 15% placement fee on a full-time support worker salary (£16 an hour, about £31,200 a year). We bill instead for the specialist hours the search actually takes, so the fee stays proportionate to the work involved.

If you have a complex case and want to talk through direct recruitment, email info@williamson-care.co.uk or call 020 3576 0216.

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