Recruitment and selection
Policy statement
Prime Recruitment’s recruitment and selection procedure aims to ensure that the most suitable candidate is chosen for the job and that all applicants received fair and equitable treatment both during the recruitment and selection processes. These processes will adhere to relevant employment law practice, guidance issued by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Department of Health (DoH). We are also mindful of the changes within the Equality Act 2010 and of the guidance issued by Government Equalities Office with respect to health questionnaires and health questions allowed during the interview process. Safe recruitment and selection are acknowledged as our first line of defence in safeguarding our Service User
The policy
This policy is intended to set out the values, principles and policies underpinning Prime Recruitment’s approach to recruitment and selection of its staff. All staff involved in the recruitment process must adhere to this policy. Failure to do so could result in disciplinary action.
It is important to recognise that the recruitment and selection of its staff is directly linked to the safeguarding of the people using our services. It is essential that the process allows the right people to be recruited and that it filters out those who are unsuitable to work with a regulated activity. It is therefore important that the following principles are adhered to:
All legal and regulatory requirements regarding Regulation 19 are met
All potential applicants are aware of the employer’s obligations to the welfare and safeguarding of Service Users
The organisation is satisfied that each applicant has demonstrated their suitability for the post
Every stage of the recruitment and selection process is completed to the highest standard and relation to references, that these are checked, validated and where necessary, added to with a third supporting reference
The organisation is satisfied of the applicant’s identity, qualifications and where necessary, revalidation processes are checked.
The above principles should be in place and anyone involved in the recruitment and selection process must be fully aware of these principles.
Job posting
Prime Recruitment provides employees with an opportunity to indicate their interest in open positions and to advance within the company according to their skills and experience. Generally, notices of all regular and, full and part-time job openings are posted through the company reserves the right not to post a particular opening, for succession planning purposes.
To be eligible to apply for a posted job, an employee must be performing competently in their present position and have held it long enough to make a significant contribution.
The organisation encourages employees to talk with their supervisors about their career plans and supervisors are encouraged to support employees’ efforts to gain experience and advance within the organisation.
An applicant’s supervisor may be contacted to account for an employee’s performance, skills and other factors relevant to any application they might make. Any staffing limitations or other circumstances that might affect a prospective transfer may also be discussed.
Job advertisement
Alongside the internal posting of any vacancies, jobs can be advertised in local newspapers, job centres and other media means. This is to ensure that the organisation benefits from as wide a pool of prospective employees as possible.
Pre screening
All applicants should be pre-screened by an authorised person. During the pre-screen, the job description and CV (curriculum vitae) should be scrutinised with the applicant to ensure the applicant meets the criteria of the advertised role. The Pre-screen should be completed online using APP (Access People Planner) ensuring all fields are completed. During the pre-screen, if an application has not be received, the applicant should provide this before interview and this should be uploaded to ACP.
You can start the pre-screen by logging onto ACP:
Employee
Applicant
New applicant
Fill in all details required
Questions answered should be filled in within the notes section
Applicants are short-listed by comparing their application form/ CV with the person specification for the job. All short-listed candidates are offered an interview and given details of the company, the position for which they have applied and the terms and conditions of employment. Where possible, we strive to have a gender-balanced panel.
Starting employment
Confirmation of employment
We make an offer of employment with brief details of your job, start date, pay etc following application and interview. We cannot incorporate everything about your terms and conditions in this offer. We therefore issue a principle statement of terms and conditions of service within eight weeks of starting employment. The principle statement plus the details in this handbook summarise you main terms and conditions of employment.
Criminal convictions
Our duty of care to clients is paramount. We are equally committed to the fair treatment of employees and applicants for employment; including ex-offenders. If you have a criminal record, this does not automatically prohibit you from working with us. However, we undertake risk assessments and all sensitive roles. This may include making a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in England and Wales. In Scotland and Northern Island, the equivalent agencies are Access Northern Ireland and Disclosure Scotland.
These bodies help employers make safer recruitment decisions. Their response can be an important indicator of suitability to occupy or retain a particular post. A disclosure can reveal convictions regarded as “spent” under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. It may identify other information e.g. you or military offences or a police caution.
We only make referrals where it is relevant and proportionate; for instance, to fulfil a licensing obligation. We always operate in accordance with the current DBS eligibility guidance and/or as required by law. Additionally, the Disclosure and Barring Service itself now routinely “filters” out certain convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings. You must always reveal maters you know to the DBS will not filter out. However, we will not seek to take account of matters that the DBS do filter out. DBS provide a customer services function to respond to queries you or we may have about such matters. Their email address is
customerservices@dbs.gsi.gov.uk and telephone number is 0870 909 0811
There are three levels of disclosure:
Basic disclosure- which is currently only available through disclosure Scotland. This will reveal convictions unspent under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Standard disclosure- Which reveals details of spent and unspent convictions. It can also identify reprimands, cautions and final warnings.
Enhanced disclosure- which supplements the standard disclosure to reveal if the applicant is on either of the statutory “barred” lists. It may also provide information from police records. However, if a chief officer of a police force must consider such information specifically relevant to the application.
We may expect you to obtain or update a disclosure in connection with your role. We will tell you individually if this is the case. We expect you to forward a copy of the disclosure to us immediately upon its receipt.
During your employment
Conduct at work
During work times, or organisation needs are paramount. You should make sure your efforts and energies are concentrated on achieving work objectives.
We expect you to conduct yourself in a reasonable manner towards any person with whom you come into contact on our behalf.
We expect you to observe reasonable instructions or requests issued by those authorised to act on our behalf.
Conduct outside work hours
We have no wish to intrude upon your activities or interests outside work. However, we expect you not to engage in any activity outside working hours which:
Could result in adverse publicity to our organisation
May cause us to question your integrity
Prevents you from performing you duties/responsibilities
Prevents us meeting our legal obligations
Infringements may lead us to investigate further. Disciplinary action, including dismissal in the most serious circumstances, may follow.
Confidentiality
During your employment, you will inevitably come across or use sensitive or confidential information/data. This may be about us or the people we deal with. It may relate to other employees, those who use our services, their families or supporters. It could be about our suppliers or those who provide us with professional services.
It is important to recognise this is privileged information. It must not be disclosed to any third part without specific authority. This also applies where we must respect an obligation of confidentiality to anyone else. It does not matter whether you are within or outside of working hours. You must also continue to respect this requirement after you have left our employment. This is both a legal and contractual obligation.
Confidential information/ data includes, but is not limited to:
Medical records or information
Records of employment, care, treatment or support
Sensitive correspondence between us and any statutory, professional or public body or agency.