Refer a Friend Scheme - Children's Services

Our team are our greatest ambassadors and also add the greatest value to our organisation – you know what it's like to work for us, the highs and lows, so we're keen to have you involved in recruiting like-minded people and being rewarded for the support too.

If you know someone who you think would enjoy working for our fabulous organisation as much as you do, refer them through our new Employee Refer a Friend scheme and you will be rewarded if they are successfully appointed and stay for 6 and/or 12 months.

All they need to do is to state your name under "Referred by" on their application, and the payments will automatically be made at the 6 month and 12 month service points.

Summary of scheme

The Refer a Friend Scheme is intended to support the recruitment and retention of qualified social workers within Children's Services (CS) at Lancashire County Council (LCC).

Under the scheme, any permanent LCC employee can refer a friend to a qualified social worker post within CS. If the friend is then successfully appointed to the role, the referring employee will receive a payment of either:

  • £300 (for candidates with more than 2 years' post qualifying experience); or
  • £500 (for candidates with more than 5 years' post qualifying experience).

Payments will be made to the referring employee in two parts:

  • 50% once the friend passes their probation period; and
  • 50% once the friend completes 12 months' service.

Scheme conditions

  1. Only existing, permanent LCC employees can refer a friend.
  2. The scheme relates to qualified social worker posts in Children's Services only.
  3. The scheme excludes candidates already working within LCC, who are on temporary/fixed term contracts and candidates with less than 2 years' post qualifying experience in a Children's Services setting.
  4. The scheme also excludes employees working within Recruitment and Talent Acquisition.
  5. Referrals can only be accepted for people who are eligible to work in the UK, currently registered with Social Work England and have the appropriate qualification.
  6. Referrals can only be made via LCC's online recruitment application form at the point of submission. Referrals received any other way or at a later stage of the recruitment process, i.e. after the candidate has submitted their application, will not be valid.
  7. No alternative to the £300 or £500 is available.
  8. Payment is subject to the referring employee being employed on a permanent basis and remaining employed within LCC at the point the friend passes their probation period and completes 12 months' service.
  9. LCC's decision about who receives the payment is final.

Process guidelines

  1. The candidate must specify on the online recruitment application form that they heard about the position via the Refer a Friend Scheme and give the name of the LCC employee who referred them in the free text box.
  2. Each month, the Recruitment Team will run a report showing any candidates who were referred by a friend and send this to the Talent Acquisition (TA) Team. The TA Team will then cross reference any candidates who have been appointed to a qualified social worker post within CS with the names of candidates who have been referred by a friend on the report and record their details on the tracker.
  3. The TA Team will monitor the tracker ongoing and take note of any friends who are due to reach their probation end date and 12-month service date.
  4. Once the friend's probation end date has passed, the TA Team will contact their line manager to check whether they have passed their probation period and continue to be employed as a qualified social worker within CS at LCC. They will also contact the line manager of the referring employee to check whether they remain in employment within LCC.
    1. Where the friend has passed their probation period and both the friend and the referring employee remain employed with LCC, the TA Team will contact Payroll to arrange for the first payment to be made to the referring employee in the following month's payroll.
    2. Where the friend's probation period has been extended, the TA Team will contact their line manager again at the date the extended probation period is due to end.
    3. Where either the friend or the referring employee is no longer employed by LCC, no payment will be made.
  5. Once the friends' 12-month service date has passed, the TA Team will contact their line manager to check whether they continue to be employed as a qualified social worker within CS at LCC. They will also contact the line manager of the referring employee to check whether they remain in employment within LCC.
    1. Where the friend has completed 12 months' service and both the friend and the referring employee remain employed with LCC, the TA Team will contact Payroll to arrange for the second payment to be made to the referring employee in the following month's payroll.
    2. Where either the friend or the referring employee is no longer employed by LCC, no payment will be made.