Safe Recruitment Policy

Surrey Hills and Rivers Limited uses safe recruitment practices to ensure that all people working with the children in our care are safe and qualified to do so. When recruiting paid staff or volunteers we will follow the procedures set out below.

All potential employees will be provided with a copy of the safeguarding policy.

They will be asked if they have been awaiting a verdict, convicted, or cautioned or received a court order or warning for any offence that may affect their suitability for working with children.

They will be asked for the contact details of two referees, one of which should be the last employer or a suitable alternative.

Interview procedure

All candidates will be asked to bring the following items to the interview:

Proof of identity, e.g. passport, driving licence or birth certificate
Proof of address, e.g. recent utility bill (not mobile phone) or bank statement
Proof of qualifications, ie the relevant certificates
For non-British nationals, proof of the right to work in the UK (as required by the Asylum and Immigration Act)

Appointing a new member of staff

When we have selected the successful candidate, we will:

Send him or her a written offer, which will clearly state that it is subject to the receipt of suitable references, full sight of a satisfactory enhanced DBS certificate and their written confirmation that they are not disqualified from working with children.
Contact both referees for a reference, including asking them if they have any child protection concerns about the candidate.
Initiate an enhanced DBS check for the candidate (or consider the suitability of any existing paper DBS, see below), or if the candidate is subscribed to the DBS Update Service, review their current DBS certificate and check their status online

We will also take photocopies of the new member of staff’s qualification certificates (such as paddlesports qualifications, mountain bike qualifications, first aid qualifications) and proof of identity and keep these on file.

When a new member of staff starts work at Surrey Hills and Rivers Limited we will give him or her:

Our terms and conditions, and get them to sign their contract; a copy of their contract will be kept on file
All our policies

We will conduct a full induction and orientation programme with all new members of staff.

All staff will be subject to an in-house training programme in respect of all policies and operating procedures, with particular attention to company ethos, data privacy, safeguarding, health and safety policies and NGB guidleines or codes of practice for relevant outdoor activities.

DBS checks

We will obtain enhanced DBS disclosures for all staff, students and volunteers who will work unsupervised with the children:

If candidates have subscribed to the DBS Update Service we will carefully review their current DBS certificate and then check their status online. If there has been a change in their status since their last DBS certificate was issued we will obtain a new DBS disclosure for them.
Additional criminal records checks will be made for anyone who has lived abroad.
If candidates are not subscribed to the DBS Update Service we may as an alternative ascertain the level of any existing paper certificate, the date on which it was received (including whether obtained in the last 3 years), and whether the individual has worked continuously for the organisation that undertook the check since that time. If the response of the candidate to these questions is appropriate, we may instead of seeking a new certificate do the following:
– Seek to see the certificate
– Verify its authenticity
– Obtain references including the verification of continuity of work since the date the DBS certificate was obtained, from two referees from the organisation that undertook the check.

New staff will only be allowed to work unsupervised with children when we have had full sight of a satisfactory DBS certificate for them.

If we decide to allow a new member of staff to begin work pending the completion of their DBS check, we will complete a written risk assessment first and they will not be allowed unsupervised access to the children until we have seen and reviewed their DBS certificate.

We will update the DBS checks for any member of staff that has not worked with us in the preceding 12 months.

Disqualification

Surrey Hills and Rivers Limited will not employ staff or volunteers who have been convicted of an offence or have been subject to an order that disqualifies them from registration under section 75 of the Childcare Act 2006.

Immigration status

The management is aware of Asylum and Immigration Act requirements and will check the eligibility of all new starters to work in the UK. Candidates are expected to provide documents confirming their status, usually a driving licence, passport, and NI number.

This policy was adopted by: Surrey Hills and Rivers Limited Date: 6 September 2023

To be reviewed: 6 September 2024