Safe Recruitment of Staff Policy

Willow Den Scotland is committed to providing a safe, secure, and supportive environment for all children in our care. As part of this commitment, we ensure that all staff and volunteers involved in the care and education of children are recruited in a thorough and safe manner. This policy sets out the principles and procedures for safe recruitment in line with Scottish legislation and best practice guidelines.

Objectives:

• To ensure that only suitable individuals are employed or engaged to work with children
• To prevent unsuitable individuals from working with children through robust recruitment practices
• To comply with legal requirements and best practices in safeguarding and child protection

Key Principles:

1. Safer Recruitment Process: we follow a fair and transparent recruitment process to ensure all candidates are assessed based on their skills, experience, and suitability to work with children.
2. Disclosure Checks: All staff and volunteers working with children will be members of the PVG – Protecting Vulnerable Groups – Scheme to ensure they have no relevant criminal history that would make them unsuitable for working with children. Individuals must be PVG checked before working directly with children
3. References: We will request and verify two professional references for all candidates including one from the most recent employer, to assess their suitability to work in any early years environment.
4. Right to Work: All candidates must provide proof of their eligibility to work in the UK, ensuring compliance with immigration and employment laws.
5. Training and Qualifications: Candidates must demonstrate that they hold the necessary qualifications, experience, and/or training to work in early years education, relevant to the role they will be undertaking. This includes checking that staff have up-to-date child protection training.
6. Interview Process: All candidates will be interviewed by at least two senior members of staff. The interview process will include questions designed to assess their suitability for a caring role, knowledge and understanding of child protection, safeguarding, and outdoor education practices.
7. Ongoing Monitoring: Once employed, staff will be regularly supervised, and their performance and conduct will be reviewed to ensure they continue to meet the standards required for working with children.

Recruitment Procedures:

1. Job Advertising: All positions will be advertised clearly outlining the requirements, and expectations. Applications will be assessed based on clear criteria related to the job.
2. Application Form: All candidates must complete a formal application form providing details of their qualifications, experience and personal suitability.
3. Interview Process: Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed to assess their suitability for the role. The interview will also assess their understanding of safeguarding, outdoor learning principles, and their approach to child development. The interview will also be arranged to include the candidate spending time playing with the children and meeting staff.
4. Safeguarding Checks: Prior to employment, all successful candidates will undergo:
   • PVG Check
   • Verification of references and qualifications
   • Confirmation of right to work in the UK
   • Check of The Scottish Service Council (SSSC) professional register or other professional register
5. Post-Employment Checks: Staff will undergo an induction process, including safeguarding training, to ensure they are prepared to work within our outdoor nursery setting. Staff are required to complete or update registration with the SSSC within 3 months.

Ongoing support and checks:

1. PVG Check will be updated every 3 years
2. Annual Appraisal. All staff will be given an annual appraisal and the opportunity for a more informal mid-year review to review performance and identify any additional training needs.
3. All staff are responsible for notifying the manager in person should any circumstances arise that may affect their suitability to work with children. This will include any incidents occurring outside the nursery. Staff could face disciplinary action should they fail to notify the manager within a reasonable timescale.