Hope Inspired CIC

Safer Recruitment Policy

Introduction

Hope inspired is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those who engage with our services.

The Safer Recruitment policy reflects our commitment to ensuring that all staff and volunteers are recruited safely and are suitable to work within our organisation.

Purpose  

The purpose of this policy is to:

  • Ensure we comply with legal and statutory safeguarding requirements

  • Prevent the appointment of individuals who pose a risk to our service users

  • Ensure our recruitment practices are transparent and consistent

  • Ensure we only recruit people who share our vision and ethos.

Scope

The policy applies to all recruitment processes for:

  • Paid employees

  • Sessional workers

  • Volunteers

Recruitment and selection processes

Job Description, Person Specification and Volunteer Role Profile

Before any steps are taken to recruit to a paid role, we will create a job description (JD) and person specification (PS) for that role.  The JD will clearly and accurately set out the duties and responsibilities of the job role and what is expected. The PS will set out skills, experience, knowledge and abilities required for the role. Each applicant’s suitability for the role will be assessed using the PS during the shortlisting process and those deemed to have met the requirements will be selected for interview.  

For volunteers we have a Volunteer Role Profile as an alternative to a formal JD and PS. This ensures an approach and associated documentation that is less formal and daunting but still lays out our expectations and requirements and is fully aligned with the concept of Safe Recruitment. The Profile identifies a specific title, purpose of the role, key responsibilities, time commitment, skills and qualities required and provides a framework for a structured, semi-formal conversation with prospect volunteers.  

Advertising

All job advertisements will include the following statement: “Hope Inspired is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children/young people and vulnerable adults. Our recruitment and employment practices are aligned with this principle. Successful applicants will be required to undergo safeguarding checks and will be expected to adhere to all relevant policies and procedures”.  

Application Process

In order for us to assess suitability for a paid role:

  • All candidates must complete a standard application form; CVs are not accepted as a substitute for application forms .

  • Candidates must record their qualifications and full employment history, accounting for any gaps or discrepancies.  

  • Candidates will be required to declare if they have any convictions or cautions.

  • Candidates will be informed that The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply to roles which involve working with children, young people and vulnerable adults. As Hope Inspired sometimes works with vulnerable adults, any convictions or cautions which would normally be considered SPENT must be declared.   

  • Candidates will be made aware that providing false information is an offence and could result in the application being rejected or, if appointed, may result in dismissal. Further, there may be a referral to the police and, if appropriate, a referral to a professional regulatory body.

  • Candidates must provide contact details of two unrelated individuals who can provide references if the application is successful. One of the references must be from the current or last employer. In the event this is the candidate’s first application for a job role in the UK or if the application is to volunteer at Hope Inspired, we may accept character references from individuals (not relatives) who are able to vouch for the candidate -  for example, a teacher, coach, religious or community leader.

  • Testimonials and open references (eg – letters entitled To whom it may concern)  are not accepted by Hope inspired.

Prospect volunteers are also expected to complete an application form, provide details of two referees and declare any convictions and cautions.  

Interviews  

All candidates shortlisted for interview will have a face to face interview with at least two senior members of Hope Inspired. During interviews:

  • Candidates will be required to bring proof of their identity, address and qualifications as well as their Right to Work in the UK. Original documents are required and photocopies will not be accepted; photocopies of the documents will be taken and destroyed at the end of the recruitment process for unsuccessful applicants.

  • The interview panel will explore, through a series of questions, each applicant’s ability to carry out the role and meet the requirements of the PS.

  • Candidates may also be required to undertake a test or participate in an observed group activity, as relevant to the role being advertised. Details of any tests or activity will be provided beforehand.

  • Interview questions are set prior to the interview, along with a marking grid which the panel uses to keep score based on the answers given by each candidate. At the end of the interview process, the panel will discuss as a group each candidate and assess their scores, making a final decision as to the successful candidate.  

Prospective volunteers can be interviewed by one senior member of staff, as they are not participating in a competitive process. The interview will be less formal although structured.  

Offer of employment

Successful candidates for a paid role will be informed verbally within 48 hours and advised that their appointment is subject to:

  • satisfactory references

  • satisfactory DBS ( Disclosure and Barring Service) check.

References for both paid and voluntary roles should provide all the information we ask for and be clear and legible. If a reference raises a concern or is incomplete or vague, we will contact the referee directly by phone to discuss the matter. A written record will be kept of such conversations.

The provisional job offer is withdrawn if satisfactory references are not obtained and in the event of any information provided by the candidate being found to be inaccurate or false. If a candidate challenges the decision of the panel, the matter will be considered by two directors as a paper-review and a written decision provided within 10 working days. The decision made by the directors is final and there is no right of appeal.

DBS checks enable us to check a candidate’s criminal record. For most positions at Hope Inspired, including volunteer roles, a standard check will be sought, which would show both spent and unspent convictions and cautions.  Having a conviction or caution would not automatically prevent someone from working with us, as we believe that people with a criminal record can nevertheless make good employees or volunteers and we do not want to discriminate.

What is important is that candidates are honest and transparent in declaring their criminal record at the application stage and we are able to have a frank and open conversation. Before making a decision about whether to employ a candidate with a criminal record, we will carry out a Risk Assessment to determine whether or not they are suitable to work for us. The risk Assessment will consider:

  • the nature of the offence and its seriousness

  • the length of time since the offence took place

  • the length of any sentence

  • the circumstances that led to the offence being committed

  • the candidate’s current circumstances and whether these reduce or increase the risk of re-offending

  • whether the offence is relevant to the position applied for

  • whether there is a pattern or history of offending

  • any evidence of reflections and insight demonstrated by the candidate which would reduce the risk of re-offending.

Following the Risk assessment, the candidate will either be offered the job, pending completion of a satisfactory probationary period, or the offer withdrawn. The matter will be referred to two directors for a paper review in case of any dispute or challenge. The decision of the directors will be provided in writing within 10 working days, and will be final, with no right of appeal.    

In the case of volunteers, they will be allowed to take up their role before the DBS check is completed, as long as two satisfactory references have been received. The reason for this is that volunteers are only present in group activities where they are not left unsupervised. Volunteers do not undertake any one to one work with service-users, do not have access to service-users’ personal data and do not handle any monies.

In the event that new volunteer roles are created which would require volunteers to engage in any activities unsupervised or have access to personal data, satisfactory DBS checks would need to be completed prior to volunteers engaging in those roles.       

Induction and Probationary period

All new staff and volunteers at Hope Inspired will participate in an induction programme to ensure they fully understand how we work and our expectations. The following policies will be provided and discussed with their line manager:

  • Safeguarding Policy

  • Health and Safety Policy

  • Equality and Inclusion Policy

  • GDPR and Data Protection Policy

  • Volunteer Policy

  • Code of Conduct

One to one sessions will be held with line managers to confirm roles and responsibilities and identify goals, learning and development needs and interests. New staff and volunteers will also shadow more experienced staff/volunteers during workshops and other activities to familiarise themselves with the role and our expectations about how to engage with those who attend our services.   

There is a probationary period of 3 months, which allows both Hope Inspired and new staff to assess compatibility. It offers us a chance to introduce new staff to their role and the organisation, evaluate performance, reliability and general fit, before confirming permanent employment. And it provides new employees opportunity to decide whether the role, expectations and organisational culture makes Hope Inspired a place they want to be.

We believe that a successful probationary period sets the foundation for a positive and productive working relationship, as new employees and volunteers become embedded into the organisation and its values and vision.

 

Policy created: 1 August 2024

Policy Review Date: 1 August 2025