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GUIDE TO PRE EMPLOYMENT CHECKS
[Author ID0: at Fri Jul 2 14:17:00 2004 ]Prevention of Illegal Working
[Author ID0: at Fri Jul 2 14:17:00 2004 ]Criminal Records Bureau Disclosures
[Author ID0: at Fri Jul 2 14:17:00 2004 ]Medical Clearance
[Author ID0: at Fri Jul 2 14:17:00 2004 ]Qualifications/Registrations
[Author ID0: at Fri Jul 2 14:17:00 2004 ]Conduct Forms
PRE EMPLOYMENT CHECKS - PREVENTION OF ILLEGAL WORKING
The Asylum and Immigration Act 1997 requires employers to establish the eligibility of people to work in the United Kingdom. In addition to the requirements specified within the Act, the Council also requests additional documentation in order to satisfy its pre employment checks requirements. The invitation to interview letter sent to candidates sets out the documentation that are required to be produced at interview. No candidate may start work before these checks have been completed.
Candidates are asked to provide one of the following original documents:
A passport showing that the holder is a British Citizen, or has a right of abode in the United Kingdom
A document (passport or national identity card) showing that the holder is a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland
A passport or residence permit issued by the Home Office stating that the holder can stay indefinitely in the UK, or has a current right of residence in the UK, or is permitted to take employment in the UK.
An Application Registration Card issued by the Home Office to an asylum seeker stating that the holder is permitted to take employment.
A full birth certificate issued in the UK, which includes the names of the holder's parents
A birth certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland
A certificate of registration or naturalisation stating that the holder is a British citizen
A letter or Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder that indicates that the person named is eligible to reside and work in the UK
In addition, candidates are asked to provide one of the following original documents, which confirm their National Insurance Number.
Income Tax Forms P45, P60 or National Insurance Card
Pay advice slip
DSS notification (or other Government Department).
Copies should be taken of the original documentation at interview and signed by the manager to confirm their authenticity. The interview letter template requests that candidates bring their documentation to interview. However, if you prefer, these documents can be provided directly to Recruitment by the appointee either in person or by post following the provisional offer.
Checks to be made on the documents produced:
Does the National Insurance number on their NI card or any other document agree with the number given on their application form?
Are there any restrictions on the period of time that the candidate can work? For example, they may be an asylum seeker or have a working holiday visa. If this is the case you should check their eligibility to work against the documentation issued by the Home Office.
For examples of acceptable documentation please use this link:
Home Office Website
If you are in any doubt about a candidate's documentation please contact the Recruitment Team for advice.
PRE EMPLOYMENT CHECKS - REFERENCES
The appointing manager should check at interview the availability and appropriateness of referees given, such as:
Whether the referee is the candidate's direct line manager
Whether they are a current or recent employer
Whether it is acceptable to contact the referees at that stage if necessary
Appropriate Referees
Appropriate referees are the current or most recent employer or college for graduates and school leavers.
For appointees coming from college, a referee from their placement employer (assuming that it is for a substantial period of time) should be sought in addition to any employment references prior to their studies.
Where the candidate already works for the Council, the reference should be requested from their current manager.
If the pattern of recent employer is intermittent or with agencies, then references should also be sought from a previous employer with whom the applicant has spent a significant period of time.
References for periods of employment more than 10 years ago are not required. However, discretion will be required, particularly in the cases of some applicants who may not have worked for over 10 years. For further advice please contact the Recruitment Team.
Personal friends, relatives or colleagues are not appropriate referees.
“Open” or “To Whom it May Concern” references are not acceptable.
Clarifying and Checking Validity
Check that the organisation the referee works for exists at the address given by checking for a telephone number through directory enquiries. In the case of small companies, or if there is any reason to doubt the authenticity of the company, the name of the company can be checked against the list kept by Audit. Finally, check the authenticity of the referee by telephoning the company and checking that the name and job title are as given by the candidate.
It is good practice to verify written references by telephone, to ensure as far as possible that the reference is authentic and genuine. This is particularly relevant when recruiting to jobs that involve contact with children and/or vulnerable adults.
On receipt of a written reference, it is advisable to telephone the referee to clarify: -
That they are employed by the organisation specified on the reference
That they were the author of the reference
That they have no further comments to make (if appropriate)
The contents of the reference should be noted carefully and reference should be made back to the individual's original application form to ensure that dates of employment and other relevant information is consistent with the reference. If the reference provided does not fully address the person's suitability for the role, it is recommended that the referee is asked to elaborate and a note made of any conversation. Managers are expected to verify the sickness record details when recruiting new staff to ensure that there is evidence of good attendance and that their appointment decision reflects this.
Further advice can be found on disability related sickness from here.
After the verification has taken place, a note should be made on the written reference to this effect, by whom and the date the verification took place.
Verbal References
Discretion may be used in that the second reference may be verbal initially (but not if it is the current employer). This will need to be followed up in the form of a written reference. The appointing manager should obtain the second verbal reference and record it in writing. Areas to probe include length of time and in what capacity the referee has known the applicant, start and end date of employment, suitability for the job, performance, disciplinary record, current job title and salary, attendance and punctuality/sickness record, date of birth, address and national insurance number and criminal convictions.
PRE EMPLOYMENT CHECKS - CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU DISCLOSURES
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosures are required for all jobs requiring substantial and unsupervised access to children and vulnerable adults in the course of their normal duties.
If the candidate declares any convictions this should be discussed at interview. If convictions are revealed following the CRB disclosure then Personnel will raise this issue with the manager.
A candidate may start subject to the CRB disclosure being cleared - please click on the Code of Conduct for CRB checks for further information.
For full information please contact the Recruitment Team.
PRE EMPLOYMENT CHECKS - MEDICAL CLEARANCE
All new employers to the Council need to obtain medical clearance before their employment is confirmed.
Where possible the candidates should be given a medical questionnaire with their invitation to interview letter and asked to bring the completed questionnaire with them to interview in a sealed envelope.
The appropriate paragraph needs to be entered in the provisional offer letter, making it clear if the offer is subject to medical clearance. Dependent on the post, Occupational Health will either paper screen the individual, or it may be necessary for them to attend a health interview.
PRE EMPLOYMENT CHECKS - QUALIFICATIONS/REGISTRATIONS
Some posts will require particular professional/educational qualifications or membership to a professional body to enable an individual to take up the post.
Candidates should be asked to bring any relevant original documentation with them to interview and the interview panel should ensure that these are photocopied and verified by signing to say they have seen the originals. These copies should then be returned with all other documentation to the Personnel Department.
PRE EMPLOYMENT CHECKS - CONDUCT FORMS
All successful applicants are required to complete a Conduct Form, which should be completed for all new starters and asks them to agree to a number of things:
To declare any criminal convictions, both in the past and during their course of appointment if appointed.
To give consent to any appropriate medical information being passed between the Council's Medical Adviser and the Council if required.
To agree to the Council's policy on confidentiality at work.
The interview letter template states that a Conduct Form is included with the letter and asks candidates to bring the completed form to interview.