Safer Recruitment Policy

TRULY SCRUMPTIOUS NURSERY ABSENT CHILD POLICY

Safer Recruitment Policy

Introduction

At Truly Scrumptious Early Years Nursery we aim to ensure that all people working with children are suitable to do so and we are therefore extremely vigilant when recruiting new staff to join our team.

We are committed to providing the best possible care to our children, and to safeguard and promote welfare of young children. The nursery is also committed to providing a supportive working environment for all its members of staff. The nursery recognises that, to achieve these aims, it is of fundamental importance to attract, recruit and retain staffs who share this commitment. Truly Scrumptious will follow a strict safeguarding procedure to protect all children and young people in our care and expects all staff and volunteers, students and agency staff to share this commitment.

Recruitment Procedure

All prospective candidates will be asked to apply form containing questions about their previous employment and academic history along with their curriculum vitae.

Applicants will then be contacted either by email, letter or phone to let them know if they have been successful in reaching the next stage, a face-to-face interview.

Candidates that are invited along to an interview and asked to bring with them:

  • Either current driving licence, passport or full birth certificate
  • A utility bill or statement, showing name and address within 3 months
  • Documentation showing their national insurance number (NI card, P45 or P60)
  • Documents confirming any educational or professional qualifications referred to in their application form.
  • Eligibility to work in the UK
  • Their criminal history (disclosing anything that will show up on a DBS)

Where an applicant claims to have changed his/her name by deed poll, the correct documentation will be requested.

Where possible, references will be checked before the interviewing stage.

During the interview, detailed enquires will be made regarding any gaps in their employment and reason for leaving employment.

Successful candidates will receive a letter stating of 2 satisfactory written references and an enhanced DBS check.

Induction

Once offered a position, the staff will be on a 3-month probation period, during this time the staff will be trained in all areas and completed a completed induction programme. New staff who do not receive 2 full references will be placed on an extended probation of 6 months.

New members of staff will not be allowed unsupervised access or be able to provide intimate care (nappy changing or supervising toileting) to any child until their DBS is completed and its clear.

New employees will undergo an induction period, during which time they will read the employee handbook, nursery policies and procedures and will be trained by a “mentor” who will introduce them to the way in which the nursery operates. Online training such as safeguarding, Prevent duty and basic food and hygiene will be completed within the employee’s induction period usually the first few days of employment.

Documents given to staff during their induction

  • Staff policy and procedure handbook (includes whistleblowing, code of conduct etc)
  • New starter staff details form
  • Personal information form
  • P46 form if required
  • Certificates
  • Health and safety declaration consent pack
  • Employee disclosure form
  • Fire drill procedure
  • Security
  • Intimate caregiving procedures

All staff members will be invited to and attend an annual ongoing suitability interview as well as an appraisal/performance review. Staff are responsible for notifying the manager, in person, if any circumstances arise that may affect their suitability to work with children, which includes any health concerns or incidents that have occurred outside the nursery.

 

Enhanced DBS checks

In accordance with the recommendations of the DFEs in “safeguarding children; safer recruitment and selection in education settings” the nursery carried out several -pre-employment checks in respect of all prospective employees for all positions.

Due to the nature of the work, the nursery will apply for Disclosure and Barring certificates from the Disclosure and Barring service (DBs). The nursery will cover the cost of the first check. The nursery will always request an enhanced disclosure as described below:

  • An enhanced disclosure will contain details of all convictions on record including current and spent convictions (including those which are defined as “spent” under the rehabilitation of offenders Act 1974) together with any details of any cautions, reprimands or warning held on the Police National Computer. It may also contain non-conviction information from local police records which a chief police officer thinks may be relevant in connection with the matter in question.
  • If the individual is applying for a position working with children, it will also reveal whether he/she is barred from working with children by virtue of his/ her inclusion on the lists of those considered unsuitable to work with children maintained by the DFES and the department of health.

The nurseries policy is to observe the guidance issued or supported by the DBS on the use of disclosure information. In particular, the nursery will.

  • Store disclosure information and other confidential documents issued by the DBS in locked cabinets, access to which will be restricted to specific members of staff
  • Not retain disclosure information or any associated correspondence for longer than necessary. In most cases the nursery will not retain such information for longer than 6 months although the nursery will keep a record of the date of the disclosure and the disclosure number which will be recorded on their personal information forms.

Once the member of staff has received their DBS certificate, they will be permitted to sign up to the update service which is £13 annually for the manager/s to regularly monitor any changes to the DBS that may not have been disclosed by the person in question, this is to ensure that all staff are fit and safe to work with children at all times.  Guidance on how to do this can be found in the office on the safeguarding board.

 

Policy Reviewed Brittany V – 18/04/2023