Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy

Policy statement:

Springhill Hospice complies fully with the Disclosure and Barring Services Code of Practice in that all applicants for positions within the hospice who have a criminal record are treated fairly, are not discriminated unfairly against on the basis of conviction or other information revealed in a Disclosure.

Related Hospice policies/procedures:

Volunteer Recruitment and Management
DBS Information Secure Handling
Equal Opportunities

Aim and scope of policy

When using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, Springhill Hospice will fully comply with the DBS Code of Practice by treating all applicants for positions fairly. It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.
Springhill Hospice is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services, regardless of race, gender, religious belief, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.
The policy on the recruitment of ex offenders is made available to all Disclosure applicants at the outset of the recruitment process.
The Hospice actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, with the right mix of talent, skills and potential and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. Candidates are selected for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.
A Disclosure is only requested after a thorough risk assessment has indicated that one is both proportionate and relevant to the position concerned. For those positions where a Disclosure is required, all application forms, job adverts and recruitment briefs will contain a statement that a Disclosure will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position.
Where a Disclosure is to form part of the recruitment process, all applicants called for interview are encouraged to provide details of their criminal record at an early stage in the application process. This information must be sent under separate, confidential cover, to the Chief Executive. It is guaranteed that this information is only seen by those who need to see it as part of the recruitment process.
Unless the nature of the position allows the Hospice to ask questions about an applicant’s entire criminal record, the applicant will only be asked about “unspent” convictions as defined in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
All staff at the Hospice who are involved in the recruitment process have been suitably trained to identify and assess the relevance and circumstances of offences. This includes receiving appropriate guidance and training in the relevant legislation relating to the employment of ex-offenders, e.g. the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
At interview an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position. Failure to reveal information that is directly relevant to the position sought could lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment.
Springhill Hospice makes every subject of a DBS Disclosure aware of the existence of the DBS Code of Practice and makes a copy available on request.
The Hospice undertakes to discuss any matter revealed in a Disclosure with the person seeking the position before withdrawing a conditional offer of employment.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an applicant from working with Springhill Hospice, but this will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offences.

Staff responsibilities

The Chief Executive has overall responsibility for the recruitment policy at the Hospice. This responsibility is delegated to other members of the Operational Management Team as and when appropriate. Independent HR advisors are engaged by the Hospice to provide advice on legal aspects of recruitment or employment issues.

The Hospice is committed to ensuring that all information provided about an individual's criminal convictions, including any information released in disclosures, is used fairly and stored and handled appropriately and in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR). Data held on file about an individual's criminal convictions will be held only as long as it is required for employment purposes and will not be disclosed to any unauthorised person.

Once an individual is recruited, information about their criminal record gathered in the course of the vetting process will not be transferred to their personnel file.

This policy is subject to quality monitoring and audit processes.