Ensuring the safety and well-being of children, young people and adults at risk of harm and abuse starts with the right people. Our Safer Recruitment Training is designed to support you in making informed and responsible recruitment decisions, helping to prevent unsuitable individuals from joining your workforce. With a caring and practical approach, this course will guide you through essential safeguarding measures, giving you the confidence to create a safer and more protective environment for those in your care.
What is the meaning of Safer Recruitment?
Safer Recruitment is the process to minimise and stop the risk of harm posed to children and vulnerable adults by those who may seek to harm them through their work (paid or unpaid). It is the job of those recruiting to make it as difficult as possible for those people who want to abuse their position of trust or cause others harm for them to succeed.
The process includes safeguarding being prominent in your job advert, job description and person specification; careful screening and shortlisting of applications; structured interviews including assessment; references; background checks such as DBS (The Disclosure and Barring Service helps employers make safer recruitment decisions each year by processing and issuing DBS checks for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man). The aim of safer recruitment is to identify suitable candidates for the role and to prevent individuals with harmful intentions from gaining access and opportunities to abuse and neglect our most vulnerable.
What will you learn on a Safer Recruitment Training Course?
- Understanding of the legislation and guidance that underpins safer recruitment procedures.
- Understand safeguarding in context: who abuses? Offending behaviours and how this has shaped safer recruitment processes and procedures.
- Understanding what is involved in planning a safer recruitment campaign.
- Explore the different strategies and techniques to help you find the right person.
- Get to grips with the essential elements of an effective induction.
- Understand the approaches that organisations can take to deter and prevent abuse and which support challenge of inappropriate behaviours.
- Understand the strategies that help develop and sustain a culture of vigilance.
The benefits of Safer Recruitment Training
Safer recruitment training provides a huge amount of benefits for a number of different organisations. It protects vulnerable individuals, ensuring children, young people and vulnerable adults are safeguarded from unsuitable individuals from being employed or volunteering in an organisation. Training increases confidence in hiring decisions and improves recruitment practices, reducing the risk of liability and ensuring legal and regulatory compliance. It promotes a safer culture, embedding a mindset of strong commitment to safeguarding and the wellbeing of individuals.
Together, we can build a safer future for everyone.
Who is Safer Recruitment Training for?
Safer Recruitment Training is for anyone who is involved in an interview panel, recruiting volunteers or managers employing staff or volunteers who have contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults.
For example:
- Charities & Voluntary Organisations – CEOs, Senior Managers, Trustees, HR and Volunteer Co-Ordinator’s who are responsible for the recruiting process of staff and volunteers.
- Schools, Colleges, Universities and Nurseries – Headteachers, Governors and HR staff who are involved in hiring teachers, support staff and site managers within their organisation.
- Sports Clubs, Swimming Schools and Youth Groups - Coaches, leaders and mentors who work with children or young people must undergo safer recruitment training to ensure they follow best practices.
- Healthcare & Social Care Providers - Doctors, Dentists, children’s care homes managers and adult residential care homes managers, anyone who is involved in the hiring process or recruiting healthcare professionals who provide safe care to patients will need Safer Recruitment Training.
- Recruitment Agencies – Consultants that supply staff to organisations with roles working with children, young people or vulnerable adults should undergo training to ensure the candidates they place meet safeguarding standards.
Training helps ensure that individuals working with vulnerable people are safe, trustworthy and committed to safeguarding best practices
Why is Safer Recruitment Training Important?
A robust safer recruitment process will in the majority of cases not rely solely on an interview but will utilise a range of assessment and selection techniques to help the recruitment panel to identify the most suitable person for the post. By undertaking training, you can learn and understand how to use a range of assessment and selection techniques.
You will gain the understanding of interview questioning and interviewing skills. How to record within the interview and then how to ensure good enough pre-appointment checks.
It provides knowledge and confidence to spot warning signs and make recruitment decisions and protects organisation’s from potential reputational risks. Always being committed to developing and sustaining a culture of vigilance.
How long is the training?
Our Safer Recruitment Training runs from 10 AM to 4 PM and is designed to be interactive, engaging, and informative. Through a mix of discussions, real-life case studies, templates to take away and practical exercises, we create a learning environment that ensures you feel confident and competent in your safeguarding responsibilities.
Why Choose The Athena Programme?
At The Athena Programme we provide training and consultancy to keep children and young people from abuse and neglect. As experts in safeguarding, we understand the issues and challenges organisations face. That’s why many organisations trust us to support them in training and the resources they need to help protect children and young people they work with. We work with many organisations in different sectors. Have a look at what some of our customers say about our safeguarding in our Case Studies.
Our highly valued training courses and consultancy services are developed by experts. We provide bespoke training courses tailored to your needs, providing up-to-date, clear and concise training with the latest statutory guidance. Our trainers are Caring, Creative, Compassionate and Passionate about training organisations to the highest standard.