Introduction and requirements
It is the responsibility of Girls in Sports to ensure that our functions are carried out with a view to safeguard and promote the welfare of our young people.
Safer recruitment is a vital factor in keeping young people safe within our environment. There is also legislation governing those who wish to work with young people in regulated activity and requirements to carry out criminal records and barred list checks. The main legislation in this respect is contained within the:
PURPOSE OF THE SAFER RECRUITMENT POLICY
It is essential that Girls in Sports maintains a consistent and rigorous approach to their recruitment and selection processes with the aim of ensuring that those recruited are suitable for such an important and responsible role when working with young people.
The purpose of safer recruitment is ultimately to:
The intention of this policy is to ensure that all stages of the recruitment process contain measures to deter, identify, prevent and reject unsuitable people from gaining access to young people within the program. The policy and the practical implementation of recruitment and selection processes also aim to meet all employee recruitment within the law, ensuring the safety of all young people within the program.
Person Specification
The person specification describes the profile of the ideal person to fill the job requirements. It is essential to the recruitment and selection process as it is used for finding the perfect person for the role, long/shortlisting and the interviewing and selection process. It sets out the criteria against which candidates will be assessed and includes the core areas for the focus of interview questions.
Person specifications drawn up will outline:
The person specification will clearly indicate whether the stated criteria are:
It will also indicate how the criteria will be tested, i.e. on the application form, at interview and/or through a task set as part of the selection process.
APPLICATION FORMS
A suitably-structured, pre-defined application form will be used for recruitment to all posts. CVs will not be accepted. Application forms are employer-led, requiring specific information from all applicants. CVs are left to the discretion of individual applicants and contain only information that they choose to provide.
The use of application forms will help to ensure that detailed information, critical to the recruitment process, can be gathered from all applicants in a consistent format.
Application forms to be used for all external recruitment will include as a minimum:
Separate application forms may be used for internally advertised posts which will require, as a minimum, further details to update the above information, as originally provided, and new signed declarations.
A SAFE CULTURE AND ON-GOING VIGILANCE
It is never sufficient to assume that a safer recruitment and selection process and robust induction arrangements are enough to ensure that the young people are safe and that there is no risk to them within the program’s environment. Creation of a safe culture, with on-going vigilance is essential.
The Girls in Sports foundation will continue to strive to create and maintain a safer culture by:
It is the responsibility of Girls in Sports to ensure that our functions are carried out with a view to safeguard and promote the welfare of our young people.
Safer recruitment is a vital factor in keeping young people safe within our environment. There is also legislation governing those who wish to work with young people in regulated activity and requirements to carry out criminal records and barred list checks. The main legislation in this respect is contained within the:
- Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
- Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
- Equality Act 2010
- Police Act 1997, the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations 2002, as amended, the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) No 2 Regulations 2009, as amended
- Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, as amended
- Sexual Offences Act 2003
- Program staff must undergo DBS checks to insure they can work with young people.
PURPOSE OF THE SAFER RECRUITMENT POLICY
It is essential that Girls in Sports maintains a consistent and rigorous approach to their recruitment and selection processes with the aim of ensuring that those recruited are suitable for such an important and responsible role when working with young people.
The purpose of safer recruitment is ultimately to:
- Deter. From the beginning of the recruitment process, it is important to send the right message – that the foundation has a rigorous recruitment process and does not tolerate any form of abuse. Wording in adverts and recruitment information must aim to deter potential abusers.
- Identify and Reject. It will not always be possible to deter potential abusers. Therefore, careful planning for the interview and selection stage, in terms of asking the right questions, setting appropriate tasks and obtaining the right information can assist in finding out who is suitable for the role and who is not.
- Prevent and Reject. There are no guarantees that even the most robust safer recruitment process will prevent an inappropriate appointment. However, this does not
- mean it is too late to act. Ensuring that comprehensive induction processes are in place, together with appropriate policies and procedures, raising awareness through program staff training and generally developing and maintaining a safe culture within the foundation will all help to prevent abuse or identify potential abusers.
The intention of this policy is to ensure that all stages of the recruitment process contain measures to deter, identify, prevent and reject unsuitable people from gaining access to young people within the program. The policy and the practical implementation of recruitment and selection processes also aim to meet all employee recruitment within the law, ensuring the safety of all young people within the program.
Person Specification
The person specification describes the profile of the ideal person to fill the job requirements. It is essential to the recruitment and selection process as it is used for finding the perfect person for the role, long/shortlisting and the interviewing and selection process. It sets out the criteria against which candidates will be assessed and includes the core areas for the focus of interview questions.
Person specifications drawn up will outline:
- Any qualifications required for the post
- Knowledge, skills and abilities required to carry out the duties of the post
- Any specific training requirements
- The need for awareness of, and commitment to, equal opportunities issues
- The need for commitment to the promotion of health and safety at work and to the protection and safeguarding of young people within the foundation.
The person specification will clearly indicate whether the stated criteria are:
- Essential – relating only to those areas without which the job cannot be performed; or
- Desirable – not essential to carrying out the duties, but which would be valuable. They may assist in the final selection process if several candidates all meet the essential criteria.
It will also indicate how the criteria will be tested, i.e. on the application form, at interview and/or through a task set as part of the selection process.
APPLICATION FORMS
A suitably-structured, pre-defined application form will be used for recruitment to all posts. CVs will not be accepted. Application forms are employer-led, requiring specific information from all applicants. CVs are left to the discretion of individual applicants and contain only information that they choose to provide.
The use of application forms will help to ensure that detailed information, critical to the recruitment process, can be gathered from all applicants in a consistent format.
Application forms to be used for all external recruitment will include as a minimum:
- Personal details including name, former names, date of birth, current address
- Qualifications
- Present (or last) employment and reason for leaving
- Full history since leaving school - education, employment and any voluntary work, as well as explanation of any gaps
- Request for details of appropriate referees
- The requirement for a personal statement addressing the criteria set out in the person specification
- The requirement for a signed declaration that all information provided is true
Separate application forms may be used for internally advertised posts which will require, as a minimum, further details to update the above information, as originally provided, and new signed declarations.
A SAFE CULTURE AND ON-GOING VIGILANCE
It is never sufficient to assume that a safer recruitment and selection process and robust induction arrangements are enough to ensure that the young people are safe and that there is no risk to them within the program’s environment. Creation of a safe culture, with on-going vigilance is essential.
The Girls in Sports foundation will continue to strive to create and maintain a safer culture by:
- Having in place, and putting into practice, clear policies and procedures and ensuring that all program staff are aware of and understand them
- Setting acceptable standards of behaviour
- Having in place clear procedures for reporting concerns, ensuring that all program staff know what the procedures are and their responsibility for following them
- Taking concerns seriously and providing support to the young people raising them
- Taking appropriate action in relation to concerns raised
- Having in place robust and appropriate induction arrangements
- Ensuring that all program staff undertake child protection and other relevant training on a regular basis
- Keeping the commitment to safeguarding and child protection on the agenda through regular discussions
- Learning from experience
- Never thinking that enough has been done to ensure a safe culture for the young people.