The following procedure will be completed for all members of staff and volunteers who will be working in a role which requires them to be in contact with children and young people.
1. Pre-application Information
Individuals who are applying for a position of employment with the Club will be provided with pre-application information for the positions available to applicants, which will include:
• A role description outlining the roles and responsibilities of the position
• A person specification, stating qualifications or experience of working with children required
• An application form
2. Application Form
Applicants applying for a position of employment with the Club will be requested to complete an application form. The purpose of the application form is to obtain relevant details for the position and referee contact details.
3. Review Applications and Interview
The Club will review application forms and consider applicants for an interview. Successful applicants will be invited to interview. Interviews will then be carried out.
4. Offer of Position
Once a decision has been made to offer an appointment, an offer letter will be sent to the applicant. This will include details of the position, any special requirements and any obligations e.g. agreement to the Child Wellbeing and Protection Policy, the probationary period and responsibilities of the role.
The applicant will be sent a Basic Disclosure form to complete and return, unless the role will involve regulated work for the Club, in which case they will require to be a member of the PVG Scheme.
Regulated work with Children
If the role involves regulated work with children and/or young people, a PVG Scheme Membership form and self-declaration form will be sent out for the successful applicant to complete and return for processing.
The offer must be formally accepted and agreed to in writing e.g. by the individual signing and dating their agreement on the offer letter and returning it to the Club.
The applicant’s appointment will only be confirmed when:
• References as per section 5 have been received, checked and accepted; and
• Self-declaration form has been returned and approved; and
• PVG Scheme Record/Scheme Record Update or Basic Disclosure has been received and approved; and
• They have signed the Child Wellbeing and Protection Policy, including the Set the Standards - Behaviours, Expectations and Requirements and completed the Fair Processing Notice Form
5. References
References must be sought for all individuals working with children and/or young people within the Club.
Two references will be requested and thoroughly checked. Where possible, at least one of these references will be from an employer or a voluntary organisation where the position required working with children and/or young people. References from relatives will not be accepted. If the applicant has no experience of working with children or young people, specific training requirements may be agreed before their appointment commences.
6. Membership of the PVG Scheme
The Club must be registered with Disclosure Scotland or Volunteer Disclosure Scotland. Any member of staff and/or volunteer carrying out regulated work with children for the Club must be a member of the PVG Scheme for regulated work with children.
Suitability for Position
Should the Club receive any information via the self-declaration form and/or PVG scheme record that needs risk assessed, this will be carried out by the Club’s Safeguarding Panel.
The Safeguarding Panel will consist of at least four members of the Club, including the Child Wellbeing and Protection Officer, the Club Manager, Personnel and Recruitment Lead and the Operations Manager. This risk assessment considers any criminal convictions or other information that would be considered relevant to the role. The decision is by majority. The outcome of the decision of the Safeguarding Panel then contributes to the final decision of the applicant’s appointment as mentioned at point 4 above.
Overseas Applicants
Applicants from overseas being appointed to regulated work with children and/or young people for the Club are required to join the PVG Scheme. Applicants from overseas must prove their ‘right to work’ in the UK and will also be asked to provide a police check from their relevant country, where possible.
For further information, see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants
Where this is not possible, or in addition to the police check, the following information, where relevant to the position, will be requested:
· A statement from the governing body in the country of origin of the applicant and/or the country from which they are transferring in regard to their participation and suitability for the position.
· A statement from the international federation of the sport in regard to their participation and suitability for the position.
7. Induction and Training
Club staff will receive an induction. This induction process should include clarification of the expectations, roles and responsibilities of the position and identify any training needs.
Newly appointed members of Club staff and volunteers must complete recommended training over an agreed period. This training will include an introduction to the Child Wellbeing and Protection in Scottish Football Policy through awareness-raising training for all staff. Further training will be provided where the role involves working directly with children and young people.
8. Probation
Newly appointed members of staff will complete an agreed period of probation.
9. Performance Appraisal and review of ongoing suitability
All members of staff will have a performance review on a regular basis. Performance reviews should include an evaluation of progress and identification of training needs.
All individuals in regulated work for the Club will be required to complete a self-declaration form on an annual basis and apply for a Scheme Record Update every three years. This ensures we are continually risk assessing members of staff and Volunteers to keep children safe.
10. New Vetting Information
If new vetting information becomes available through a self-declaration form or PVG Scheme Record Update, this will be considered through a risk assessment by the Club’s Safeguarding Panel.
Should any risk be identified, it will then be necessary to follow the Responding to Concerns Procedure.
11. Consideration for Children’s List or Barred Individuals
If Disclosure Scotland notify the Club that a member of staff or Volunteer is being considered for listing, that individual will be suspended as a precaution, or not contracted to carry out regulated work for the Club until the outcome of the case is determined. Suspension is not a form of disciplinary action and does not involve pre-judgment. In all cases of precautionary suspension, the best interests of children and young people will be the paramount consideration.
If Disclosure Scotland informs the Club that an individual is barred, that member of staff or Volunteer will be removed from regulated work with children and/or young people immediately in line with the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 section 5 duties for organisations.