Nursery safe recruitment of staff policy

At The University of Dundee Nursery Ltd we are vigilant in our recruitment procedures aiming to ensure all people working with children are qualified and suitable to do so. We follow this procedure each time we recruit a new member to join our team.

Legal requirements

• We abide by all legal requirements relating to safe recruitment set out in the National Care Standards and accompanying regulations
• We also follow any requirements or guidance given by the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) in relation to carrying out checks and The Scottish Social Service Council (SSSC) professional register or other relevant professional register
• We abide by the employer’s responsibilities relating to informing the PVG of any changes to the suitability of their staff, whether this member of staff has left the nursery or is still under investigation. Please refer to the child protection policy for further information. 
• We also follow Early Learning and Childcare National Induction Resources Scottish Government 2019

Advertising

• We use reputable newspapers, websites and the local job centre to advertise for any vacancies
• We ensure that all recruitment literature includes details of our equal opportunities policy and our safe recruitment procedures, including PVG registration and at least two independent written references for each new employee.

Interview stage

• We shortlist all suitable candidates against a pre-set specification and ensure all applicants receive correspondence regardless of whether they are successful in reaching the interview stage or not
• All shortlisted candidates will receive a job description, a person specification, an equal opportunity monitoring form and a request for identification prior to the interview
• The manager, the deputy and a representative from the People team will sit on the interview panel and are involved in the overall decision making
• At the start of each interview all candidates’ identities will be checked using, for example, their passport and/or photo card driving licence. All candidates will be required to prove they are eligible to work in the UK 
• All candidates reaching the interview stage are questioned using the same set criteria and questions. These cover specific areas of childcare, including safeguarding the children in their care, planning suitable activities to enhance the child’s development and their understanding of the legal frameworks applied to childcare and used in the nursery. The questions will be value based and will ensure the candidate has the same values as the nursery with regards to the safety and welfare of the children in their care
• Candidates will be given a score for their answers including a score for their individual experience and qualifications
• Each shortlisted candidate will be asked to take part in a supervised practical exercise which will involve spending time in a particular age group in the nursery, interacting with the children, staff and where appropriate parents
• The manager, the deputy and a Senior People Partner  will then select the most suitable person for this position based on these scores and their knowledge and understanding of the early years framework as well as the needs of the nursery
• Each candidate will receive communication from the People team stating whether they have been successful or not. Unsuccessful candidates are offered feedback.

Starting work

• The successful candidate will be offered the position subject to at least two references from previous employment or in the case of a newly qualified student, their tutor and a personal or professional reference (e.g. their GP). These references will be taken up BEFORE employment commences. This will be verbal initially and then followed up with a written reference which will form part of their personnel file
• All new starters will need to join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme
• All new staff shall be subject to a check of The Scottish Social Service Council (SSSC) professional register or other relevant professional register
• All qualifications will be checked, and copies taken for their personnel files
• All new members of staff will undergo an intensive induction period during which time they will read and discuss the nursery policies and procedures and be allocated a mentor who will introduce them to the way in which the nursery operates
• During their induction period all new staff will receive training in basic child protection and how to protect the child’s health, safety and welfare in this manner
• The new member of staff will attend regular meetings with the manager and their mentor during their induction period to discuss their progress.

Ongoing support and checks

• Every member of staff will be subject to a Disclosure Scotland check every three years. From February 2011 the enhanced Disclosure Scotland check will be replaced by the PVG scheme, so when each member’s disclosure is due for renewal, they will be asked to join the PVG scheme
• All staff are responsible for notifying the manager in person should any circumstances arise, that may affect their suitability to work with children. This will include any incidents occurring outside the nursery. Staff will face disciplinary action should they fail to notify the manager within a reasonable timescale
• All staff are required to be registered with the SSSC:
• Each member of staff will attend two meetings a year with the manager, a formal appraisal, and a more informal review. This will provide an opportunity for the manager and member of staff to discuss training needs for the following six months as well as discuss their performance in the previous six months
• The manager, deputy and room leaders will be responsible for any support the staff team may have between these reviews. This includes mentor support, one-to-one training sessions, ongoing supervision, work-based observations, and constructive feedback.

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