Features

Recruitment: Part 4 - Picking the right candidate

Careers & Training Management Safe & Effective Recruitment
In the final part of her series, early years expert Laura Henry
looks at how to conclude the recruitment process.

You've done the face-to-face interview, set your candidates a test and invited them in for a trial day. Before you make your final decision, your interview panel should take time to discuss how the candidate meets the person specification.

This is why it is important for detailed notes to have been taken throughout the process - especially during the interview questions (where a scoring system is very useful), as this ensures you can demonstrate you have been transparent and fair to every applicant.

The score sheet could show: 0 - does not meet, 1 - partly meets and 2 - fully meets the criteria. Again, this is why it is essential to have a person specification in place because this is what you are making judgments against. Be sure to ask other panel members questions as to why they gave a particular score.

Once there is agreement that the successful applicant has met the criteria, the lead panel member or a human resource colleague should telephone the successful candidate to provisionally offer the position, subject to the relevant checks. Telephoning the successful candidate is a positive way to start the personal relationship with your new employee. A formal letter should then follow the verbal offer. In addition, the unsuccessful candidates should be telephoned. This should also be followed by a formal letter. It is then time for the relevant checks to be processed and made.

References

Ideally, you should request two references and one should be from the applicant's most recent employer. If there has been a gap in employment, the employer should reserve the right to contact previous employers; this request should have been made on the application form. If the applicant has come directly from studying, then a reference should be requested from his or her place of study. A character reference may also be obtained from another source, for example, if the applicant has carried out voluntary and/or community work.

There has been a rise in employers only giving factual references, for instance, just confirming the applicant's duration of employment and confirming that they did actually work for them. This is not detailed enough to give the prospective employer enough information to ascertain the prospective applicant's suitability.

I feel that within the wider issues of safeguarding children, employers should give more information. One of the reasons why they only give factual information is that they fear it may become a potential litigation issue. If the employer has kept accurate supervision and performance management records, then surely this is what they are basing their information on?

DBS disclosures

A DBS check needs to be requested by law. If the DBS discloses that the applicant has unspent convictions, reprimands, cautions or final warnings, a check of local police records should be made, as well as ascertaining whether or not the person is on either of the barred lists held by DBS (this is an enhanced check).

Suja Chacko, a human resources expert, makes an important point: 'If a disclosure reveals that the candidate has a criminal conviction, you should take further advice, as taking account of old and minor convictions, for example, issued when the applicant was under 18, may be a breach of their human rights, according to recent decisions in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.'

It is a balancing act between employees' human rights and our duty as a service provider to protect and safeguard children.

There are certain disqualifications not stated on the DBS, such as enployees' own children being taken into care or living in the same house as someone who is disqualified. This is why it is essential that within your staff contracts you state that employees have a duty to inform if there are any circumstances that may impact their suitability to work with children. In add-ition, staff should sign an annual declaration that to their knowledge there is nothing that impacts their suitability to work with children.

Health check

Be mindful of indirect discrimination - health checks should be done as sensitively as possible and only if it is necessary to do so. Chacko states this should be 'only in situations where fitness is relevant to satisfactory job performance'.

Qualifications

Original documents should have been presented at the interview and, if need be, cross-checked to the Early Years Qualifications List held by the National College for Teaching and Leadership. In addition, any evidence of current qualifications that are being studied should be made available and copies kept.

If you have to withdraw the job offer due to any unsatisfactory checks, be sure to keep adequate records and telephone and write to the applicant to explain why.

It is advisable that there is a probationary period of three to six months, which is stated clearly on the employment letter.

Some providers will employ staff subject to checks being carried out (pending satisfactory results) on the basis that they are never left alone with children.

However, given that DBS checks are usually completed quickly, I would professionally recommend that all checks are in place before any new employee commences work.

In addition, it is essential that there is a rigorous induction programme that supports staff in their new role, linking to organisational values, good practice and requirements of registration.

Effective recruitment should be the start of building lasting professional relationships with employees. Central to safer and effective recruitment is making sure that children are safeguarded and protected at all times and that their welfare and wellbeing is paramount.

 

More information


CASE STUDY

Sarah Rotundo-Fergusson, head of nurseries, The Co-operative Childcare

'Once the candidate has been selected, and the position is offered, all offers of employment are subject to receipt of a suitable DBS check, health declaration and two satisfactory references.

The nursery manager will apply for a DBS check, initiate the online health assessment and ensure that two references have been requested. The nursery manager must see the relevant DBS certificate, recording the number, issue date and who obtained it. If there are offences recorded, these will be reviewed. Some offences will make the candidate immediately disqualifiable, some will fall within the list of offences the Co-operative Childcare have deemed as internally not accepted and some may not prevent the candidate from working with us providing a post-DBS risk assessment is completed and evaluated.

Once satisfactory references, health declaration and DBS have been completed, the recruiting manager will agree a start date and the new employee will be sent a welcome pack that includes their contract, relevant policies and our safeguarding statement.

The employee will be booked to attend their 'Welcome to Team Midcounties Induction', which is completed either on, or prior to, his or her first day. The manager will conduct the first onsite induction, ensuring compliance with health and safety, and the employee will be introduced to his or her e-learning induction programme that is completed throughout the first 12 weeks of employment. This consists of nine modules followed by assessments and is supported by an onsite paper induction completed by the management team and includes training on safeguarding, health and safety, fire safety, confidentiality, data protection, the EYFS, key person approach, equality and diversity and food hygiene.

By the employee's 13th week of employment, a review will be completed as part of the probationary review. The full probationary period finishes at the end of the 26th week of employment and their permanency as a Co-operative Childcare employee is confirmed.'

Laura Henry is managing director of Laura Henry Consultancy, laura@laurahenryconsultancy.com

  • Sarah Rotundo-Fergusson is speaking about 'Recruitment and retention: how to be a great workplace' at Nursery World's Business Summit on 12 November. Go to www.nurserybusiness-summit.com