Recruitment and
Selection Policy 

Effective recruitment and selection is central and crucial to the successful functioning of the Trust. 

It depends on finding people with the necessary skills, expertise and qualifications to deliver the trusts strategic objectives and the ability to make a positive contribution to the values and aims of the organisation.


  • Replacement of existing posts

    When someone leaves the first question that should be asked is "Is there a vacancy?" 


    The work done by the person who left may be: 


    • no longer required 
    • incorporated into other people's workload - perhaps to develop their skills carried out by a part-timer 
    • carried out as and when required using someone employed on a short-term contract

    For any replacement of an existing post the Community Manager should review the existing job description and amend where necessary. Expected costs should also be considered including pay rate for post and any advertising costs that may be incurred. 


    The pay rate for the post should comply with the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the Trust's internal salary bandings. 

  • Advertisement

    The Community Manager should advertise the post in the method agreed: 


    Options include: 


    1. Internal advert only. This method will be used where it is agreed with the Chair that there may be sufficient skills and experience within the trust's existing staff to meet the needs of the post, or that it would be a good development opportunity.
    2. Internal and external advert. This method will be used where it is likely that an acceptable internal candidate can be found or where it is deemed appropriate to test the outside job market. Any costs to be incurred by advertising externally need to be sourced and approved by prior, to the advertising taking place. Social media avenues will also be used as well as sharing the vacancy with partner organisations.

    Employees on maternity leave or long terms sickness leave will receive all advertisements for posts advertised by the community sports trust during their period of maternity leave or sickness absence. 

  • Application Form

    Candidates for all posts will, except on some occasions when a vacancy is restricted to internal recruitment, be asked to complete a standard application form, in order that they can be judged on the basis of comparable information. 


    In applying for posts, all candidates will be provided with a job description, details of the appropriate  conditions of service and details about the Trust. A brief statement about the appointment procedure will also be provided and, if possible, an indication of the closing date. The job description will include a list of the main duties and responsibilities of the post, together with an outline of the qualifications and experience which candidates are expected to possess. 


    In drawing up the job description and conditions of service, the Trust will ensure that no job applicant receives less favorable treatment than another on the grounds of disability, gender, race, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, caring responsibilities or hours of work, and that no applicant is placed at a disadvantage unjustifiably by requirements or conditions which have a disproportionately adverse effect on a particular group. 


    Applicants will be asked to specify whether they have any disabilities, as defined in the Equality Act 2010, and whether there are any reasonable adjustments needed for them to attend an interview. All applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for a job will be interviewed and considered on their merits. 


    Applicants will be required to supply the names and addresses of two people from whom references can be obtained. 


    Only references for short listed candidates for interview will be obtained. References will be sought prior to start date. 


    All candidates will be asked to declare on the application form whether they have ever been convicted of any criminal offence which cannot be regarded as 'spent' in terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. 


    The Trust works with children and vulnerable adults, therefore applicants will be asked to reveal details of 'spent' and 'unspent' convictions. Successful candidates for such posts will be required to provide the necessary documentation in order to complete an enhanced criminal records check. 


    Applicants will also be required to declare if they are related to any member of staff within the Trust. Canvassing of members of the trust is not permitted. No manager should be put into a position where he or she is asked to interview a person to whom they are related. 


    Applicants details will be recorded at the point of receipt. All information relating to the data collected in the equality and diversity recruitment monitoring form will be hidden from all those involved in the recruitment and selection process. The information collected will be solely used for the purposes of equality monitoring. 


    All completed applications forms are private and confidential and should only be made available to those directly involved in the recruitment and selection process. 


    All application forms will be collated by Human Resources Department / Company Administrator and supplied to the appointing manager and interview panel for shortlisting purposes. 


    A shortlist of candidates will be drawn up for interview, based entirely on merit and suitability for the post but taking account of the Company's responsibilities in relation to the Equality Act. 


    Other than in exceptional circumstances, reasonable notice will be given to ensure that candidates have sufficient time in order to prepare for and make the necessary arrangements to attend the interview. 

  • Selection Methods

    Interviews will be held by a panel comprising of ideally three persons, but a minimum of two persons, gender balanced wherever possible. The interviewers will encourage candidates to be at ease during the interview, in order that they can give a fair and accurate impression of themselves. 


    A set of questions will be agreed by the interview panel in advance and will be developed from the current job description for the post. The panel will seek to develop questions which ask the candidates to give examples of their previous relevant experience 


    All candidates will be asked the same questions in the same order, and the panel will each have a copy of the questions. 


    It should be remembered that an interview is a two way process, and candidates will be given every opportunity to view the offices where they will work and ask questions about the Trust, to ensure that they have a full understanding of the post for which they are applying and the way the Trust operates. 


    In addition to interviews, a range of other selection techniques may be used. In such circumstances reasonable notice and relevant information will be given to ensure that candidates have sufficient time and information to prepare. 


    All appointments will be made strictly on merit and related to the requirements of the job. 


    All interviewed candidates will be notified of the outcome of the selection process as soon as possible, either by telephone or letter. 


    All unsuccessful candidates' application forms and interview notes will be retained for one year from the date of interviews taking place. After this date they will be destroyed. 

  • Relevant Checks

    All offers of employment will be made conditional upon satisfactory results from the following:


    • two satisfactory references;
    • confirmation of the right to work in this country
    • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure (if appropriate).

  • References

    It is the Trust's policy to seek at least two written references, one of which must be from a previous employer (or, if this is the prospective employee's first job, their school teacher or higher or further education lecturer) and to ask for documentary proof of qualifications and eligibility to work in the UK. Any offer of employment must be conditional on this documentation being satisfactory to the Trust. 


    Before references are taken up, the prospective employee's consent should first be sought. 

  • Verification and vetting

    Community Sports Trust may also take steps to verify any of the information provided on the prospective employee's CV or in their application form and may additionally take steps to undertake background checks, such as sanctions checks and directorship checks, as a means of obtaining specific information. In this case, Community Sports Trust will explain to the prospective employee in advance the nature of its verification or vetting process and the methods to be used to carry it out, including details of any external sources that will be used. In addition, where it is necessary to secure the release of documents or information from a third party, the prospective employee's consent should first be sought. If any verification or vetting checks produce discrepancies, the prospective employee will be given the opportunity to make representations and provide an explanation of the inconsistencies before any decision is taken to withdraw a conditional offer of employment. 


    Where a prospective employee has provided website links on their CV or in their application form to their social media personal website pages, Community Sports Trust may check these links once an offer of employment is about to be made. Until that stage, however, these links will be disregarded in the recruitment process. 

  • Probationary Period

    All appointments into the Trust will be made subject to a probationary period of six calendar months. At the end of the probationary period, and subject to a satisfactory report by the appropriate head of section or Community Manager, employees will be notified in writing that they have successfully completed their probationary period. 

  • Recruitment Monitoring

    The Trust seeks to recruit employees on the basis of their ability and the requirements of the post. 


    The Trust wants to ensure that no applicant receives less favorable treatment than another on the grounds of disability, gender, race, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, caring responsibilities or hours of work. 


  • Exit Interviews

    All employees who leave the employment of the Trust voluntarily will have an exit interview with their manager before their last day of employment. 


    Exit interviews provide the opportunity for departing employees to discuss their reasons for leaving. The information provided is useful in identifying trends, learning and development and evaluating the effectiveness of HR policies and practices. 


    The appropriate manager should receive all appropriate information, such as recommendations made for change, or significant issues raised in the questionnaire, whilst bearing in mind confidentiality issues. 


  • New staff/ volunteers will be asked to sign the following documents for compliance:

    • Safeguarding self-declaration
    • Code of conduct
    • Fit & proper persons declaration (If applicable)

Appendix 1 

Recruitment of Ex-offenders Policy


1. Background

1.1 The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act was introduced to ensure that ex-offenders who have not re-offended for a specified period of time since their date of conviction are not discriminated against when applying for jobs.

1.2 The Act enable ex-offenders to 'wipe the slate clean' insofar that, unless the job they are applying for is exempted, they are no longer required to disclose convictions that are spent.

1.3 It is unlawful for an organisation to discriminate against an ex-offender on the basis of a spent conviction unless the individual in question is applying for an exempted job, although unspent convictions must be disclosed.

1.4 The length of time required for a conviction to become spent depends on the sentence received and the age when convicted (see Guidance notes for Rehabilitation of Offenders/Criminal Records Declaration Form).

1.5 There are, however, a number of jobs that are exempt from the Act in order to protect vulnerable groups within society; such posts might involve unsupervised access to children, young people, the elderly, disabled people, alcohol and drug users and the chronically sick.


2. Introduction

2.1 The purpose of the policy is to ensure that The Community Sport Trust complies fully with the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and follows best practice in its recruitment of staff with a criminal record.

2.2 It aims to ensure that it treats all applicants for jobs who have a criminal record fairly and does not discriminate unfairly against candidates with either a spent or an unspent conviction; at the same time the policy aims to safeguard the company, its staff, visitors and service users.

2.3 The policy sets out the basis on which it will seek information from prospective employees about past spent and unspent convictions, how this information will be used and the way in which it will seek and deal with information relating to offences.

2.4 The Trust has some jobs that require it to check the background of proposed appointments to positions of trust within the company and which are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.


3. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) - levels of Disclosures

3.1 Basic Disclosure:

i. The lowest level of disclosure, which provides information from the Police National Computer for details of all current criminal convictions (convictions considered unspent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974).

ii. It discloses all such convictions, or states that there are none.

iii. A Basic Disclosure is available for any position and can be obtained for any purpose, for example for pre-employment/recruitment vetting or work as a volunteer.

3.2 Standard Disclosure:

i. Provides details of both spent and unspent convictions, and cautions, formal reprimands and final warnings held on the Police National computer, and it also states if there is nothing on record.

ii. If the applicant is applying for a post working with either children or vulnerable adults, the disclosure will also show whether a person is banned from working with either group.

3.3 Enhanced Disclosure:

i. Contains the same details as the Standard Disclosure but may also contain non conviction information from local police records, which the police may think is relevant to the position being sought.

ii. It also states if there is nothing on record.

iii. The Enhanced Disclosure is available for positions involving regular caring for, or training, supervising or being in sole charge of children or vulnerable adults.

iv. This level of disclosure is also available for certain statutory licensing purposes.


4. Declaration of Unspent Convictions

4.1 All job applicants will be informed that if they are offered employment with the company, relevant unspent criminal convictions and associated information will need to be submitted by the completion of the Rehabilitation of Offenders/Criminal Records Declaration Form.

4.2 Applicants are not required to disclose convictions that are 'spent' under the Act. (Cautions, reprimands and final warnings are regarded as spent as soon as they are issued).

4.3 In addition, the Trust reserves the right to request a job applicant's permission to undertake a Basic Disclosure to support pre-employment vetting processes.

4.4 The suitability of a person with a criminal record will vary depending on the nature of the job and the circumstances of the conviction; an assessment of the applicant's skills, experience and the nature of the convictions should be weighed against the potential risks associated with the job through the criminal record assessment undertaken by the Community Manager and Safeguarding Officer.

4.5 Examples of questions that the company will consider in assessing the relevance of offences to particular jobs, and which will help determine the relevance of particular offences to particular posts, include:

  • Does the post involve one-to-one contact with children, staff, students or visitors?
  • What levels of supervision will the post holder receive?
  • Does the post involve any direct responsibility for finance or cash handling?
  • Does the post involve contact with the public?
  • Will the nature of the job present any opportunities for re-offending?

4.6 In carrying out a risk assessment the company will take into account the following issues:

  • The seriousness of the offence and its relevance to the safety of staff, students, visitors and company or University premises;
  • The length of time since the offence occurred;
  • Whether the offence was a one-off or part of a repeated pattern;
  • Whether the offence has since been decriminalised;

4.7 When a decision is made not to appoint an individual after unspent criminal offences have been considered, the Trust will, on request, inform the individual why they were considered to be pertinent. 4.8 Following this process, if an individual is appointed and it subsequently emerges that they had an unspent conviction that was not disclosed, then this will be treated as a potential gross misconduct and handled and investigated under the Trust's disciplinary procedure


5. Exempted Jobs with a requirement for Disclosure

5.1 It will be made clear in the further particulars for the vacancy if the post is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and therefore subject to disclosure of spent convictions, i.e. a criminal record check by the Government Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) which will reveal information regarding cautions, reprimands, final warnings and convictions

5.2 In addition to the completion of the Rehabilitation of Offenders/Criminal Records Declaration Form, a disclosure application will be made to the DBS under one of the levels of disclosure. (For most Trust jobs deemed to be exempt, the level of disclosure will be Enhanced).

5.3 If this yields information that may make the candidate unsuitable for appointment, the candidate will be invited to discuss this with the Chair of the interview panel and/or a member of Human

Resources/Trust before a final decision regarding the appointment is made.

5.4 If the candidate is deemed unsuitable for appointment, the candidate will be informed of the reasons for this in writing and the offer of the post will be withdrawn.

5.5 Only convictions that are relevant to the person's suitability to perform the job in question will be considered.


6. Data Storage

6.1 The company complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice regarding the correct handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure information. 

6.2 It also complies fully with its obligations under the Data Protection Act, General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and other relevant legislation pertaining to the safe handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of Disclosure information. 


7. Existing staff with a criminal record

7.1 If the Trust has to obtain Disclosure information in relation to existing staff who were not required to disclose conviction information at the time of their appointment and this process reveals a criminal history, then it will assess whether or not this prevents them continuing in their present job or moving to another job. 

7.2 In carrying out this process the company will examine the factors set out in 4 above. 

7.3. In circumstances where, after an appropriate assessment is carried out, it is deemed that they cannot continue in their present job, then the Trust will examine re-deployment possibilities in accordance with the agreed policy on redeployment of staff at that time, following which it may become necessary to terminate the employee's employment. 


8. Training of staff

8.1 Managers involved in leading the recruitment and selection of staff will be made aware of this policy and its provisions. 


9. Further information

9.1 Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/disclosure & Baring service - Check





Issue: Dec 2019

Review Date: December 2022


Policy Approved By:

Community Manager: John Halpin

Trustee: Sue Kaveney