Aim – To set out the minimum requirements of a recruitment process that will:
- Attract and select the best possible applicants to vacancies
- Deter, identify and reject prospective applicants who are unsuitable for work with children or young people
- Meet statuary requirements of the Equality Act 2010
- Treat all applicants fairly and clearly.
Recruitment and Selection Procedures
At Just Like Home Childcare we are vigilant in our recruitment procedures. We follow this procedure every time we recruit a new staff member to our team.
Identification of recruiting panel
- We have a minimum of two people on our recruiting panel. The same two people are involved in every step of the process. These people are Katie Heal and Sam Collins.
- At least one member of the panel will have attended training in safe recruitment procedures. (Sam Collins has carried out ‘Safer Recruitment’ Training.)
Advertising
- We use childcare.co.uk to advertise vacancies and sometimes use local newspapers and websites.
- All our adverts include reference to our ‘recruitment and selection policy statement’ which gives details of our equal opportunities policy and safe recruitment procedures and is available to all candidates. See below: –
“Just Like Home Childcare is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All applicants are subject to a satisfactory enhanced check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (previously the Criminal Records Bureau) and at least two independent references”.
Job application pack / recruitment materials
- Any person enquiring about the post will be supplied with a job application pack which as a minimum, will include:
- Job description and person specification
- An application form
- A copy of our recruitment and selection policy
- All applicants must complete, in full, an application form. CV’s will be accepted and considered, but only alongside an application form.
Short-listing
- We shortlist all candidates against the person specification for the post.
- We ensure all applicants receive correspondence regardless of whether they are successful in reaching the interview stage or not.
- We welcome applications from all sections of the community. Applicants will be considered on the basis of their suitability for the post, regardless of their marital status, age, gender, culture, religious belief, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.
Interview stage
- Interviews will always be face to face.
- A minimum of two people, usually the manager and the deputy or person responsible for recruitment, will sit on the interview panel. Both will be involved in the overall decision making.
- At the interview, each candidate will be required to prove their identity against photo ID (for example a passport and birth certificate or driving licence), prove they are qualified by providing actual certificates and provide documents to prove they are eligible to work in the UK.
- At the interview, candidates will be questioned using the same set criteria and same questions. The questions will be formulated from the essential criteria listed in the person specification and specific areas of childcare.
- Candidates will be given a score for their answers.
- Candidates will always be required
- to explain satisfactorily any gaps in employment
- to explain satisfactorily any anomalies or discrepancies in the information available
- to declare any information that is likely to appear on a DBS disclosure
- to demonstrate their capacity to safeguard and protect the welfare of children and young people
- Each shortlisted candidate will be asked to take part in a practical exercise or trial session, which will involve spending time in the setting interacting with the children, staff and where appropriate, the parents.
- The manager and deputy will then select the most suitable person for this position based on these scores and their knowledge and understanding of the early years framework as well as the needs of the setting.
- Each candidate will receive communication from Just Like Home Childcare stating whether they have been successful or not.
Further pre-employment checks
- The successful candidate will be offered the position subject to at least two references from previous employment or in the case of a newly qualified student, their tutor and a personal or professional reference. These references will be taken up BEFORE employment commences.
- References will be sought directly from the employees. References or testimonials provided by the candidate will never be accepted.
- Referees will always be asked specific questions about: –
- the candidates suitability for working with children and young people
- any disciplinary warnings, including time expired warnings that relate to the safeguarding of children
- the candidates suitability to do the new post
- The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced police check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) prior to starting work.
- The new employee, both volunteers and paid staff, will not have unsupervised access to any children in the setting before the DBS check comes back and a decision is made about that person’s suitability. In addition they will not take photographs of children, will not have access to any child’s records and learning & development information and will not change the nappy of any child.
- All qualifications will be checked against actual certificates and copies taken for their personnel files.
Induction
- For all new staff, a clearly written and structured induction programme is in place that includes training, shadowing and opportunities to read and discuss policies and procedures.
- The induction plan sets out what new staff members will cover before beginning work and throughout the 3 month induction period.
- All new staff will be allocated a buddy / mentor who will introduce them to the way in which the setting operates.
- Throughout the induction period, all new staff members will have regular formal supervision 1:1 meetings with the manager and their mentor to discuss how it’s going and identify any further training and development needs. This will be followed up by a three month review at the end of the probationary period.