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Policy · Safer recruitment

Safer Recruitment Policy

How we vet, verify and engage every care worker we supply. Enhanced DBS, references, Update Service, and ongoing review. Safer recruitment is the first line of safeguarding.

Section 01

Purpose

Safer recruitment is the first line of safeguarding. This policy sets the standards We Are Care applies to recruit, verify and engage care workers, so that only suitable people are placed into settings supporting adults at risk, or children and young people.

Section 02

Scope

This policy applies to the recruitment of all care workers and to any staff member in a role involving regulated activity. Recruitment is conducted in-house. We do not sub-contract recruitment to third parties whose practices we cannot directly verify.

For children-specific vetting (enhanced DBS with children’s barred-list information, references from previous children’s-workforce employers, allegations route), see our Safeguarding Children & Young People Policy, Section 12.

Section 03

Principles of safer recruitment

  • Recruit on merit, against clear role and values criteria.
  • Verify identity, eligibility and history before any placement.
  • Apply consistent, recorded decision-making to any disclosure.
  • Treat safeguarding as the overriding consideration at every stage.

Section 04

Pre-employment checks

Before any placement we complete, as a minimum:

  • Right-to-work verification under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. No exceptions.
  • Enhanced DBS check with the relevant barred-list check for the regulated activity. For roles in regulated activity with children, this includes children’s barred-list information.
  • In-person identity verification during onboarding.
  • References. A minimum of one professional reference must be received and verified before placement. Two are sought as standard. Children’s residential placements require a minimum of two professional references, including one from any employer where the applicant previously worked with children.
  • Full employment history with a satisfactory explanation of any gaps.
  • Verification of relevant qualifications and registrations (for example, an NMC PIN for nurses, where applicable).
  • Confirmation of fitness for the role.

Section 05

Values-based interview and selection

Candidates are assessed for the values and behaviours expected of our carers, alongside skills and experience. Selection decisions are documented.

Section 06

Decision-making and risk assessment of disclosures

Any DBS disclosure or adverse information is risk-assessed on a case-by-case basis, in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, with the decision and rationale recorded. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is consulted where a disclosure has safeguarding implications.

Section 07

Probationary review, early-placement review and supervision

Suitability for the role is confirmed in practice as well as on paper.

  • Temporary and bank care workers (the majority of our workforce). The first few placements after onboarding function as an early-placement review period. Provider feedback after each placement is actively reviewed by the compliance and operations team. A worker who does not meet conduct, competence or compliance expectations during this period is removed from the bank.
  • Permanent care workers introduced to a client provider. Where We Are Care introduces a carer who is then taken on directly by the client provider, the provider becomes the worker’s employer. Probation, supervision and ongoing review during the provider’s engagement are governed by the provider’s own terms and arrangements. Our pre-introduction vetting, references and confirmation of suitability continue to apply as set out in this policy.
  • Directly-employed We Are Care staff in office or management roles. A standard probationary period applies, with review meetings during probation and confirmation of employment at the end.

Supervision arrangements during the relevant period reflect the engagement type and the level of risk in the work.

Section 08

Self-disclosure during employment

Workers must self-disclose to We Are Care any new cautions, convictions or relevant safeguarding concerns arising during their engagement, including matters arising on their DBS Update Service status. Failure to self-disclose is a disciplinary matter and may itself prompt a review of suitability for ongoing engagement.

Section 09

Statutory DBS referral duty

Where a worker is dismissed, removed from regulated activity, or would have been removed had they not resigned, because they harmed or posed a risk of harm to an adult at risk or a child, We Are Care makes a statutory referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Failure to refer without good reason is a criminal offence under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for the referral and for the records that support it.

Section 10

DBS evidence and the Update Service

  • The DBS certificate image is destroyed within six months of the engagement decision, in line with the DBS Code of Practice.
  • We retain a DBS metadata record of the check: certificate number, issue date, level, workforce, outcome, and name of verifier.
  • We retain a DBS Update Service status-check log for the duration of engagement. Worker consent for Update Service status checks is captured at onboarding.
  • Right-to-work evidence is retained for the duration of employment plus the Home Office-specified period.
  • Recruitment and vetting records held for workers engaged in regulated activity with children, including children’s residential placements, are retained per the extended position in the Safeguarding Children & Young People Policy (25 years from end of engagement, or until the worker reaches age 75, whichever is sooner).
  • All other retention periods align to the central Retention Schedule.

Section 11

Ongoing checks

  • Right-to-work expiry dates monitored and re-verified before they lapse.
  • DBS renewed on our defined cycle, or where role or risk requires.
  • Registration and qualification status re-checked at renewal.

Section 12

Records, security and confidentiality

Recruitment and vetting records are held securely in our care operating systems. Special category personal data and data relating to criminal allegations or convictions processed during recruitment is governed by our Appropriate Policy Document (BTN-WAC-APD-2026) under Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraph 18 of the Data Protection Act 2018. Information security controls are governed by our Information Security Policy (BTN-WAC-IS-2026) (security lead: Joel Dawson). Records are surfaced to providers and inspectors on request.

Section 13

Roles and responsibilities

The board owns this policy. The compliance and onboarding team operates the checks. The Designated Safeguarding Lead, Vicky Welfare, advises on disclosures and on suitability decisions where safeguarding is engaged.

Section 14

Use of Baton

Baton tracks check completion, document expiry and renewal reminders. Suitability decisions remain human-owned.

Published at wearecare.co.uk/policies/safer-recruitment.