At the Old Fire Station Nursery, we are committed to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children and Young People, we take this very seriously and expect all staff, students and volunteers to do the same.
It is a requirement for all settings to ensure that all staff recruited to work with children and young people are properly selected and checked. At the Old Fire Station Nursery we ensure that we have members on the recruitment panel who have completed ‘Safer recruitment’ training. When considering applicants, we ensure that they hold appropriate qualifications; relevant employment history; and check to ensure they are safe to work with children.
Our procedure is as follows:
- We only use reputable websites when advertising any vacancies.
- The adverts always contain a statement, regarding our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young adults.
- All applicants will be required to complete an application form in which they will need to provide details of 2 references, a minimum of 5-years employment history (or their full employment history) and their relevant- qualifications. They then will be contacted by nursery management stating whether they have been successful in reaching the next stage (face to face interview) or not.
- All shortlisted candidates will be asked to carry out a 30-minute trial in a base room under supervision to ensure their practice is suitable for the nursery setting.
During an interview applicants will be asked to prove:
- Their identity (passport or photo card driver license)
- Relevant qualifications (certificates)
- Eligibility to work in the UK (official paperwork)
- Their criminal history (disclosing anything that will show up on a DBS), they then will be recommended to join the update service for their DBS.
- Detailed enquiries will also be made regarding any gaps in their employment.
- Once the interview and trial has been completed the 2 references given will be sent off as soon as possible.
Each applicant will receive communication from the nursery stating whether they have been successful or not.
Starting work
- The successful candidate will be informed that their job offer is conditional, dependant on a cleared Disclosure and Barring Service.
- New members of staff will not be allowed unsupervised access or be able to provide intimate care (nappy changing/toileting) to any child until their DBS check comes back clear.
- New members of staff will undergo an induction period of 8 weeks during which time they will read and discuss the nursery’s policies and procedures and receive a mentor who will introduce them to the way in which the nursery operates. Their work ethic and performance will also be monitored very closely during this time and if satisfactory levels are not being reached their employment may be reconsidered.
- All staff will be on a 6 months’ probation period after passing their induction. This is to ensure the staff’s practice is suitable for the continuation of their contract, if staff are not meeting the set expectations and practice of the nursery, we may reconsider their employment.
- All staff will attend a termly supervision and are responsible for notifying the manager, in person, if any circumstances arise that may affect their suitability to work with children. This includes any health concerns or incidents that have occurred outside of the nursery. Staff will face disciplinary action if they fail to notify the manager within a reasonable time scale.
- Staff must disclose any disqualification by association, staff can be disqualified if they live in the same household as someone who is a disqualified person. Staff will be expected to declare whether they have anyone living in the same household as them with any unspent criminal convictions that are not ‘protected’ as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). This includes reprimands, warning or cautions that should be disclosed, which are listed in the ‘Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006’. Staff will face disciplinary action if they fail to notify the manager within a reasonable time scale. If a staff member does declare early on that they are living in the same household as someone with a criminal record which is not ‘protected’ they may be able to apply for a ‘waiver’ from Ofsted.
- DBS carried out at least once a year and then recorded on our ‘staff matrix’, info noted is DBS number, date of issue, date to be updated and agency used.
