Policy

The Care Worker Agency will only recruit people who are absolutely right for the job and in accordance with the requirements of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (‘SVGA’).  The principle states that the company will only recruit people who have the right emotional make-up and the correct personality to carry out the job both professionally and empathetically. All staff are expected to have up to date appropriate caring skills and must be happy to go out and deliver care and support work at short notice, as need dictates.

All staff will undergo a face-to-face interview with a written application form to check their spoken and written English ability and understanding. An acceptable Enhanced Disclosure & Barring system check for both Adults and Children will be applied for before starting job shadowing on the front line, and all care staff will satisfy the requirements of the company’s Induction Training programme. As a company we will fact and background check the data on their application form via the references we apply for (minimum of 2) etc., to make sure they are giving an accurate and honest account of themselves, their work history and their aptitude for the role.

The Care Worker Agency will maintain relevant records pertaining to the recruitment of staff (including registration checks) in line with the Data Protection Act, GDPR and principles of confidentiality.

Interviewers and those involved in recruitment at all levels will strictly observe the relevant laws and regulations and will pay attention to matters relating to Equality and Diversity, taking into account the legal framework as well as good practice regarding an applicant’s age, sex, religious observance, ethnic background, disability or sexual orientation etc.

The Care Worker Agency will require all new applicants applying to work directly with customers to complete the new DBS criminal record application form for an enhanced disclosure with Adult and Children check. The Care Worker Agency will ensure that as part of the recruitment process, individual’s sign a ‘consent form’ for checking their DBS registration status.

The Care Worker Agency will NOT employ any individual who is registered with the Adult First check or Children First check and is aware it will be an offence to do so.

Procedure

Applicants for care workers may come to The Care Worker Agency from one of many different approaches. Direct Gov, social media platform advertising and word-of-mouth will all be good sources of contact.

Irrespective of the way the person should make contact (even if they are recommended by an existing member of staff) the process shall be the same in that The Care Worker Agency will respond to all enquiries in a polite and professional manner. (Please note that a prompt/checklist is available for telephone enquiries to assist the process).

The following process must be completed:

1)   Applicants must complete an Application Form personally in advance of a decision to be invited for an interview.  Those who do not fit the criteria will be rejected at this stage, without an interview taking place.

2) An Equality Monitoring Form will also be provided to applicants for completion.

3) Individuals whose applications are acceptable will be invited for an interview.  All interviews must be conducted by a senior member of staff (Care Manager or above) for reasons of consistency and seniority.

4) The interviewee must provide proof of identification (preferably a passport, original birth/marriage certificate and/or Right to Work visa if applicable) and their driving licence (if they intend to drive at work) as well as two (2) proofs of residence.

5)   Interviewees will undergo selection and those who are unsuccessful will be notified in writing.

6)   Successful applicants will complete a DBS application form for Adults & Children prior to induction training.

7) The interviewer will take up a minimum of two (2) references on successful applicants and replies will be in place before the job offer is confirmed. One reference must be from the former/most recent employer of the applicant. (In some circumstances, The Care Worker Agency will request three references where a reference from the most recent employer is not available. For example, a business no longer in operation.).

8) Successful applicants will be invited to Induction Training, which includes training in all mandatory areas as per The Care Certificate guidelines.  

9)   Following successful completion of Induction Training the employee will be invited to arrange some job shadowing for the upcoming weeks with some of the regular staff for the work they are intended for.

10)They will also be issued with a The Care Worker Agency Staff Handbook, uniform and identification badge. The employee must confirm and sign a declaration that they have received, read and understood the The Care Worker Agency Staff Handbook and policies and procedures.

11) A successful response to the Enhanced DBS check application must be received and all references must be in place before the employee starts working alone.

12) Where the employee has references and an Adult First check or Children First check  in place but the criminal record check is still being processed, The Care Worker Agency will contact the customer (or their named representative) in advance and ask their permission to provide this particular care worker while the check is being processed.

13) The records relating to an individual member of staff must be accurately maintained, up to date and stored securely and confidentially (in line with the Data Protection Act, GDPR and the Freedom of Information Act).

Note:  Recruitment must not be used as a ‘weeding out’ process.  Applicants will only be invited to go forward to the next step when they have fully satisfied all the criteria both on a practical, professional and emotional level.

Procedure for the Recruitment of Management & Administrative Roles

When recruiting for administrative or management positions, the same overall process must apply with slight variation to the system as follows:

1)   Applicants shall complete an Application Form in advance of the interview.  Those who do not fit the criteria will be rejected at this stage, without an interview taking place.

2)   Individuals whose applications are acceptable will be invited for an interview. This interview must be conducted by the Managing Director for reasons of consistency and seniority.

3) The interviewee must provide proof of identification (preferably a passport) and their driving licence (if they intend to drive at work) as well as 2 different proofs of residence.

4)   Interviewees will undergo selection and those who are unsuccessful will be notified in writing.

5)   Successful applicants will complete an Enhanced DBS check for both Adult and Children prior to training.

6) The interviewer will take up references on successful applicants and replies will be in place before the job offer is confirmed.

7) The Care Worker Agency will create and deliver a training package based on the information gleaned, based upon the policies and procedures of the company and the requirements of the role as set out in the Job Description.

8)        The Care Worker Agency will monitor the performance and development of the individual to continue to assess the effectiveness in the role.

 Reviewed April 2025 by Fay Townsend-Jackson