Safe and fair recruitment commitment

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults at risk and/or children and expects all our staff and volunteers to share these values. We are also committed to treating all applicants equally and fairly based on their skills, experience, and ability to fulfil the duties required of the role applied for. This is regardless of any protected characteristics (ethnicity, gender or gender re- assignment, religion or belief, sexual orientation, physical/mental disability, age, pregnancy or maternity, marriage, or civil partnership).

Applicants must share with us all the relevant information that we have requested in this application form, but we would like to reassure applicants that any information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence in a fair and open manner. Suitable applicants will not be refused employment because of offences or conduct which are no longer relevant, and do not place them at, or make them a risk – the role for which they are applying. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

Please include all periods of any post-secondary education or training.

Please provide full employment history in chronological order since leaving secondary education, including periods of any post-secondary education/training, and part-time and voluntary work as well as full time employment, with start and end dates. IMPORTANT NOTE: When providing reason for leaving, for each role, please confirm that you were not under investigation for or subject to any disciplinary sanctions in relation to your conduct at the time of leaving/dismissal. If you were, please provide details

Please detail each period (of more than four weeks) when you were not in employment or education training.

Please provide contact details for at least two referees who are able to comment on your suitability for the job applied for. You are responsible for providing accurate contact details so that referees can be contacted.

• The first referee MUST be your current or most recent employer (or your course tutor if you are currently in, or have just left, full time education).
• Professional references will not be accepted from work colleagues who are not authorised to provide professional references in an official capacity on behalf of the organisation, or from people writing solely in the capacity of friends, or from relatives.

Our organisation will seek references for successful candidates and will approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications. If you are currently working with adults at risk and/children, your current employer will be asked about disciplinary offences relating to adults at risk and/children (including any conduct related to safeguarding concerns which the penalty is ‘time expired’), and whether you have been the subject of any safeguarding related investigations or concerns, and if so, the outcome of any enquiry or disciplinary procedure including any referrals to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), other professional bodies or the police. If you are successful at interview, any offer of employment will be subject to receipt of two satisfactory references and any additional pre-employment checks.

We will only ask those candidates who have been selected for interview to complete a criminal record self- declaration form or provide a written disclosure statement to give them the opportunity to provide sufficient information. At an interview or in a separate confidential discussion, we will ensure that an open and measured discussion takes place on any offences relevant to the position. We will only carry out criminal record checks with DBS on successful candidates at the appropriate level for the role applied for. Failure to provide accurate and truthful information is considered a serious matter. If it becomes apparent that inaccurate or incomplete information has been provided, we will need to establish why. Any finding of serious misdirection or intent to deceive will result in an application being disqualified or, if appointed, disciplinary action being taken and/or dismissal.

This post involves working in Regulated Activity under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and is subject to an enhanced DBS with barred list check (i.e., adults, children, or both). It is a criminal offence to apply for or accept a position working with adults at risk and/children if you have been barred from engaging in regulated activity with the relevant group (i.e., adults, children, or both).

All information on this form will be treated in strictest confidence and used to process your application for employment. If you are appointed, this application will form the basis of your personal file and information on this may be held in an electronic database. If your application is unsuccessful, your details will be kept for 6 months and then destroyed.