Golden hello for social care workers
Those eligible to receive the golden hello include all qualified social work and OT's recruited to Walsall and internal staff appointed to qualified social worker or OT posts for the first time in Walsall. This means that newly qualified staff through to senior practitioner would be eligible for the golden hello. A golden hello incentive of £1500 will be paid upon satisfactory completion of the employee's probation period as stated in their contract of employment. The payment will be subject to the appropriate deductions in respect of Income Tax and National Insurance.
Internal staff already in a qualified post who obtain a different qualified post would not be eligible for the golden hello. Agency qualified social workers or OT staff recruited via the usual processes would be eligible for the golden hello. Social Workers recruited from outside the UK are entitled to receive payment of the Golden Hello.
Payment of the golden hello sums will only be made subject to the new recruit undertaking to pay back a proportion of amounts actually paid in the event of leaving the specific post to which the incentive applies. If the employee's employment with the council should end for any reason other than redundancy within 36 months of receipt of the golden hello then the recipient will reimburse the council as follows:
- 100% of the golden hello if their employment ends within less than 12 months of receipt;
- 75% if their employment ends between 12 and less than 24 months of receipt;
- 50% if their employment ends between 24 and less than 36 months of receipt.
The employee's contract will state that 'If on the termination of their employment, they are liable to reimburse the council in respect of the golden hello, they will sign to say that they authorise the Council to deduct from their wages or any other monies due to them such amount as is due in accordance with clause 6 above.
Qualifying periods for avoiding the paying back of a proportion of a golden hello payments are anchored at the employees date of first taking up employment within WMBC, not the date from which the golden hello becomes payable.