Staff & Recruitment Policy

Reviewed: February 2022

This Staff Recruitment Policy is produced in line with the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021’ framework set out by the Department for Education. This policy aims to ensure the safe and fair recruitment of staff and is intended to promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Safeguarding is prioritised in the recruitment and selection of staff and is an essential part of creating a safe environment for vulnerable people. Its purpose is to ensure that all recruitment is conducted in a way that is fair, effective and economic. Those responsible for recruitment will demonstrate a professional approach by dealing honestly, fairly and efficiently with all applicants and external agencies providing recruitment services to A Hill Sport LTD.

Purpose & Aims

A Hill Sport LTD are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people including children and young people, as well as adults with disabilities and extra needs. All staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors must share this commitment; all staff, volunteers, contractors, agencies, visitors, etc will be referred to as staff or employees from herein. We are committed to attracting and selecting employees who positively demonstrate safeguarding qualities and who contribute to providing a valuable service to all of our customers and consumers.

By retaining a motivated and committed workforce who possess the appropriate knowledge, qualifications, skills, experience and ability to perform their role is critical to our performance and fundamental to delivering the service quality our customers expect from us.

This policy applies to all employees responsible for and involved in the recruitment and selection of any staff, failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary or even dismissal. If safeguarding is overlooked and results in harm being caused to any of our staff or customers, the immediate termination of employment/contract will ensue. This policy should be adopted by any external recruitment agencies providing services to us for the purposes of recruiting staff.

The aim of this policy is to ensure that the safeguarding and welfare of vulnerable people is considered and prioritised at each stage of the recruitment process, ensuring a consistent approach to recruitment and that all relevant legislation, including Equal Opportunities, is adhered to and to ensure the cost-effective method of recruitment to benefit relevant stakeholders.

Recruitment Process

We will treat all applicants fairly and honestly and deliver to them prior to application a ‘job pack’, this will include:

  • job description,
  • information on preferred and essential qualities, characteristics, experience and qualifications,
  • information on how to apply, this may include an application form,
  • information on the interview/recruitment process, and;
  • information on appeals.

Employees will be recruited based on the most desirable characteristics including relevant knowledge, experience and skills required for the job. Selection will be carried out by the company director or any nominated recruitment manager; recruitment managers may share other job roles within the organisation and may or may not be responsible for the management of the selected candidate.

Employees will be subject to a minimum probationary period set out during the interview process to ensure the candidate is right for the organisation and that the organisation is right for them. Termination of employees during this period may be made without reason or notice being provided to the candidate. Upon completion of the probationary period, staff will be invited to take part in appropriate or relevant training, such training may be optional or mandatory and information on the status of each training will be provided. If an employee refuses to take part in mandatory training, they will be dismissed. If an employee refuses to take part in optional training, they may be dismissed or made ineligible for certain benefits or roles.

Selection will be based on a completed application form, shortlisting, interview and probationary period. At times, more than one candidate may be selected to take part in the probationary period where only one role exists, in which case the highest-performing candidate will be offered the job whilst the other candidates may be offered alternative roles or be informed that they have been unsuccessful in the application process.

Reasonable adjustments will be made to enable the recruitment process to be fair to any person applying who lives with a disability, however, it is the applicants responsibility to advise us that they have a disability and what adjustments they may require. This applies to the entire recruitment process including the job advertisement; if a job advert is required in an alternative format, you must let us know. If the adjustments are excessive, we will look at alternative ways of allowing applicants to proceed with their application and recruitment. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of disability and encourage those living with disabilities, including but not limited to poor mental health, learning difficulties, cognitive dysfunctions, neurological conditions, etc to apply for any role they feel they may be suitable for; we will provide support and assistance if, due to disability, the role becomes difficult to perform.

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all and ensuring that recruitment and selection are fair by reviewing our procedures on a regular basis and ensuring applicants are not discriminated against. If you believe there are any shortfalls in our recruitment process relating to discrimination or inequality, we welcome you to provide us with your feedback using the Contact Us form on our website, all suggestions will be considered fairly and impartially.

Because of this, we may provide applicants with a questionnaire that will ask for various information relating to sex, gender, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, etc. This questionnaire must be kept anonymous and will not be associated to your application, if a questionnaire has any identifiable information contained within it, the questionnaire will not be read or considered and will be destroyed immediately; applicants are advised against disclosing such information to us during the application stage except where it is relevant, such as in the case of reasonable adjustments being made to enable them a fair opportunity during the recruitment process. This is so that there is no discriminatory influence over recruitment decisions. Employees who are successful in the application are welcome to celebrate their differences and characteristics with us should they wish to do so and we will fully support and engage with employees who wish to do so.

It goes without saying, therefore, that any form of discrimination is prohibited within our organisation and any allegations of discrimination will be dealt with fairly and impartially. If the victim of discrimination is agreeable to working with the accused to resolve their behaviour, we will work together to ensure the discrimination is eliminated, this may include further training or, if no resolution is found, disciplinary or dismissal. A Hill Sport LTD has zero-tolerance for discrimination, harassment or bullying.

Pre-Employment Checks

An offer of employment will be conditional upon a range of factors, this may include but is not limited to.

  • CV or resume submission.
  • Verification of photographic identification and proof of address.
  • Verification of a right to work in the UK, this will include requiring a UK passport or national insurance number.
  • Verification of mental and physical fitness through a health declaration form/questionnaire, where it is found that mental and physical fitness are not to the standard required, support may be offered to enable the employee to carry out their role effectively or an alternative position may be offered; where an alternative position is offered, the same salary and benefits will be applied.
  • Verification of satisfactory employment references, where these are unavailable, academic references or references from a job centre work coach may be sufficient provided they are personally endorsed by the referee.
  • Verification of qualifications. This may include professional teacher status where required, including QTS status except for where the candidate is properly exempted or NPQH checks which are carried out online, as well as verification of successful completion of statutory induction period for teachers (for those who obtains QTS after 7th May 1999).
  • Verification of Disclosure and Barring Certificate (DBS), if a DBS certificate is not held, applicants will be expected to cover the cost of obtaining an enhanced DBS certificate which will be refunded to them upon successfully completing their probationary period and after 6 months of employment. If an applicant withdraws their application, is unsuccessful during their probationary period, is dismissed or leaves their role of employment during their probationary period or within the first 6 months of employment after their probationary period, this fee will be forfeited. If you already possess an enhanced DBS certificate, this will be verified as accurate and legitimate with your current employer and the DBS service. You will be expected to disclose whether you are disqualified from childcare where relevant.
  • Where a DBS check is brought over from a previous employer, it must be dated within the last three months. A new enhanced DBS certificate must be paid for and applied for upon acceptance of the probationary period and the same conditions apply as above.
  • Where a DBS check is brought from previous employment, it must be relevant and current (less than 3 months), without a gap of service of three months or longer and to the level needed for the role.  In this instance, a new child barred check will be taken.
  • Where a DBS is taken, but the candidate is needed to start as soon as, or it is not likely to be cleared a day before the agreed start date, then, a barred list check must be carried out before the applicant can take up their post and a risk assessment completed while the DBS is still being processed. A check will be carried out using the DBS Online service to see if any prohibitions exist against a candidate.

All checks will be documented including the date and all documents, including identification, copies of qualifications and other data will be retained for up to six years of the candidate recruitment process or for up to six years after a term of employment, whichever is greater. Any fraudulent, dishonest or misleading activity, including false representations, will be reported to the relevant authorities, including the police. Legal action may also be taken against any person who causes harm to the organisation or our reputation or any financial damages.

If a candidate is invited to take part in a probationary period, they will be expected to take part in an induction program prior to starting their term. The induction program will include the training in the following area:

  • Our child protection, missing person and safeguarding policies, including information about the designated safeguard lead, who they are and any deputised members of staff.
  • Staff codes of conduct, including anonymous reporting (whistleblowing)
  • Behaviour policies for staff and customers
  • Data protection policy
  • Media recording policy
  • Keeping Children Safe frameworks, including Keeping Children Safe in Schools and Keeping Children Safe Online
  • A list of key legislation and guidance that is deemed appropriate for the member of staff to familiarise themselves within their own time prior to starting their probationary period.

For the avoidance of doubt, the probationary period may be described as a training period and may differ to an extent from the intended role; it may include altered responsibilities, increased obligations, increased supervision, regular progress and review meetings, etc.

We reserve the right to withdraw the role for any reason, at any time, without notice or reason during or at the end of the probationary period.

Student Placements, Work Experience, Duke of Edinburgh Volunteers

We support children and young people in our community to gain vital experience and therefore present opportunities where available to allow students and young people to undertake placements as part of their academic assignments, work experience and volunteer roles to fulfil certain elements of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards; from herein, these individuals will be referred to as young people except where a key differentiation is being made. Where we accept young people into our organisation for these purposes, they will be under supervision at all times. If they are found to breach any of our policies or act in a way that is disruptive or presents a safeguarding risk, they will be asked to leave immediately and relevant reports will be made to the institutions they are put forward by.

Young people will be expected to complete an application and submit a CV and, as much as possible, follow the process of other employees and similar checks will be carried out. We will meet with the young person and interview them beforehand. Any student application must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation by their school or college.

Young people will be expected to acquire a criminal record check from the local police force.

Young people must not identify themselves as employees or volunteers and any queries made to them should be directed to the supervising member of staff.

Young people must never leave the supervision of a member of staff and must inform a member of staff if they must leave their supervision at any time, this includes going to the bathroom – permission to use the bathroom will never be withheld but we must be aware of where the young person is at all times for safeguarding reasons. If a young person leaves the supervision of a member of staff without notifying them first, they will forfeit their placement immediately.

If a young person is attending a sports session, they must be informed of any relevant risk factors and made aware of all fire exits.

Young persons on placement must follow all instructions immediately. In the event of an emergency, they must follow the same directions provided to the customers – for all intents and purposes, except where explicitly directed otherwise, they must act as though they are a customer.

Course providers/parents are responsible for paying for any DBS checks as required for their role. No reimbursement will be available for these costs.

Staff and Safeguarding

Staff must adhere to our safeguarding policies found here. Equally, facts must be reported to the police and the Department of Education’s Children’s Safeguarding Operations Unit (CSOU), as well as the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) if the candidate:

  • Is found to be on the Barred list or if their DBS disclosure shows they have been disqualified from working with children by the court
  • An applicant or employee has provided false information relating to their application

Reports may also be made if there are serious concerns about an applicants suitability to work with children or an employee’s conduct whilst working with or away from children.

Staff may be able to start work without a DBS certificate if:

  • They are supervised at all times
  • Other satisfactory checks have been completed
  • They have knowledge of safeguarding frameworks and policies and are able to show proficiency in adhering to them
  • Relevant risk assessments have been undertaken.