Safer Recruitment Policy

Aim

To set out the minimum requirements of a recruitment process that aims to:

· 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.

Procedures

At Chiltern Gymnastics we are vigilant in our recruitment procedures.

We follow this procedure every time we recruit a new 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 at each step of the recruitment process.

· At least one member of the panel will have attended training in safe recruitment procedures.

Chiltern Gymnastics 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 Criminal Records Bureau disclosure and at least two independent references.

Job application information and recruitment materials

· Any person enquiring about the post will be supplied with a job application which as a minimum, will include:

o Job description and person specification

o An application form

o A copy of our recruitment and selection policy (this document)

· All applicants must complete, in full, an application form and provide the contact details of two referees.

Short-listing

· We shortlist all candidates against the person specification for the post.

· 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 a Senior Coach, 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, birth certificate or driving licence) and also produce documents to prove they are eligible to work in the UK.

· At the interview, each candidate will be questioned using the same set criteria and same questions.

· Candidates will always be required

Ø to explain satisfactorily any gaps in employment

Ø to explain satisfactorily any anomalies or discrepancies in the information available

Ø to declare any information that is likely to appear on a CRB disclosure

Ø to demonstrate their capacity to safeguard and protect the welfare of children and young people

· The Manager and Senior Coach 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 nursery

Employment checks

· The successful candidate will be offered the position subject to at least two references

· Referees will be sought directly from the referee.

· Referees will always be asked specific questions about

Ø the candidates suitability for working with children and young people

Ø any disciplinary warnings, including time expired warnings that relate to the safeguarding of children

Ø the candidates suitability for the new post

· The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check whether they currently hold an enhanced CRB or DBS check or not. This will be initiated before the member of staff commences work and they will not have unsupervised access to any child or their records before this check comes back clear.

· All qualifications will be checked against actual certificates and copies taken for their personnel files.

Induction

· For all new staff, a clearly structured induction programme is in place. The programme includes training, shadowing and opportunities to discuss the setting’s policies and procedures.

· 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 receive regular

meetings with their mentor to discuss how it’s going and identify any further training and development needs.

​

Malcolm Bridges IGA Safeguarding Officer

​