ROI Adult Safeguarding

Recruitment, Selection and Management of Parish Staff and Volunteers and Garda Vetting Responsibilities

Key areas:

• The importance of good recruitment, selection and management procedures
• Summary of the process of recruiting staff and volunteers working with adults at risk and in need of protection
• Managing the roles
• Complaints and grievances

The importance of good recruitment, selection and management procedures

Best safeguarding practice by the Church in respect of convicted child sex offenders requires that they should not hold representational roles as this can be perceived to convey a position of authority by other members of the Church, both children and adults.  This can be particularly sensitive and potentially hurtful for anyone who has been harmed by a sex offender.

An individual who has been the victim of a sexual offence may have to manage lifelong consequences arising from that harm and their needs should be prioritised.  It is therefore regarded as inappropriate that someone with a conviction for a sexual offence would hold any role on a decision making body in the Diocese or in Church leadership of any sort, even when that role does not involve contact with children.

Good recruitment, selection and management procedures will:

• Help screen out and discourage those who are not suitable from joining the organisation.
• Ensure clergy, paid staff and volunteers have clear rules and boundaries and feel supported
  in their roles
  
• Assure relevant carers that all possible measures are being taken to ensure only suitable people
  will be recruited to work with adults at risk or in need of protection.

Summary of the process of recruiting staff and volunteers working with adults at risk or in need of protection

Recruitment and selection procedures must be applied equally to all staff and volunteers and this includes:

• Those who have been part of the parish for many years and are taking up a new role with adults at risk or in need of protection

The following steps are necessary to ensure good practice:

Defining the role

A role description should be drawn up for volunteers. This can be done generically for volunteer roles within the parish.

For a paid role a specific job description should be created.

Advertising to role

Paid roles must be advertised as per employment good practice. For volunteers, an announcement in church or in the parish magazine may be sufficient.

Application Form

All applicants must be asked to complete an application form relevant to the extent of the role being undertaken.

Declaration

All applicants are asked to sign a declaration stating that there is no reason why they would be considered unsuitable to work with vulnerable adults.

Interview

All potential staff and volunteers must be interviewed by the Incumbent and at least one member of the Select Vestry sometimes in conjunction with other relevant individuals such as a leader- in-charge or external persons with relevant qualifications/experience. The level of formality of an interview should reflect the role being undertaken. An interview for a pastoral visitor should be fairly informal; however an interview for a paid member of staff should be more formal and comply with employment regulations.

If a role is a diocesan level role then potential staff members and volunteers must be interviewed by the Diocesan Adult Safeguarding Panel.

References

References should be taken up from at least two people who are not family members and, ideally, one of whom should have first-hand knowledge of the applicant’s previous work or contact with adults at risk or in need of protection. References should be taken up in writing and should be followed up orally.

Garda Vetting

As this process can change, follow the latest procedure outlined on the Church of Ireland website: www.ireland.anglican.org/safeguarding

Please note that a member of staff or volunteer cannot begin work until the organisation has received a satisfactory vetting disclosure from the National Vetting Bureau. This also applies to bishops and clergy and a satisfactory vetting disclosure must be received from the National Vetting Bureau prior to ordination and/ or installation and/or the granting of a licence to officiate or permission to officiate.

Record keeping

Details of the selection and recruitment procedure should be recorded and securely stored as per current data protection regulations.

Ratifying the Appointment

At the conclusion of the selection and recruitment process the Select Vestry recommends an individual to take up the role of post. A contract of employment (in the case of a member of staff) or a volunteer agreement (in the case of a volunteer) is signed by the individual and Incumbent on behalf of the Select Vestry. A contract of employment with a paid member of staff should be drawn up by the parish solicitors.

Staff or Volunteers from Abroad

Background checks are not possible for many overseas applicants. Staff and volunteers from abroad may produce certificates of good conduct from their home church or statutory agencies
in their country of origin. Such certificates must be treated with extreme caution as there is
no way to confirm their validity. As with any other criminal conviction certificate, it can only provide ‘known’ information. The requirement to obtain a satisfactory vetting disclosure from the National Vetting Bureau in advance of commencement of work also applies in respect of staff or volunteers from abroad.

Panels must make every effort to verify the suitability of candidates by careful use of references and interview. NB What constitutes an offence in the Republic of Ireland (and would be seen as adult abuse) may elsewhere. References therefore need to be viewed with this in mind.

It is strongly advisable also to require candidates to sign a sworn declaration that there is nothing in their background which would prevent their working with adults at risk or in need of protection.

Managing Staff and Volunteers

Good management of volunteers and paid staff will contribute to safe activities for all. Good management will also create an atmosphere where staff or volunteers feel valued, are listened to and where issues can be dealt with quickly by systems already in place.

Effective management for all staff and volunteers should include:

Induction

New staff and volunteers must have training provided by the Select Vestry that includes basic awareness and understanding of adult safeguarding issues. The training should explain the procedures and guidelines and also include an introduction to the activities and ethos of the group they have joined. Staff and volunteers should be made aware of what is expected and required of them and the boundaries or limits within which they must operate.

Probationary Period (Paid Staff) / Trial Period (Volunteers)

All appointments should be conditional on a satisfactory trial period of work. Every new post should be reviewed within an agreed period of time, usually six months.

Supervison

It is good practice to set up a supervision system for paid staff and volunteers, which means arranging for a supervisor to see staff and volunteers at regular intervals whether on their own or in small groups. This provides support for staff and volunteers and an opportunity to talk through any questions or difficulties they may have. It also gives the supervisor the opportunity to assess progress and whether any additional training should be provided. The supervisor must be the leader in charge of the group, the Incumbent or a member of the Select Vestry who has been given the responsibility by the vestry.

Fixed Term

In relation to volunteer roles, it may also be helpful to indicate a particular duration for a role, say 3-5 years, thus allowing a volunteer to step back with dignity if they wish rather than feeling that resignation might be misinterpreted.

Annual Appraisal (Staff) / Review (Volunteer)

The purpose of this is to review general performance and also give an opportunity to discuss any relevant changes in the personal circumstances of staff and volunteers. The appraisal/review also provides an opportunity to highlight any required future support or skills training. Parishes should aim to provide access to at least one training or development opportunity per year for each member of staff or volunteer.

Complaints and Grievances

Everyone has the right to complain or report a grievance. All people should be facilitated in raising a concern or complaint. Written complaint and grievance procedures should be in place and communicated to all associated with each organisation e.g. a complaints form, an anonymous comments box or a meeting with a leader-in-charge.

Everyone also has the right to appeal a decision made regarding a complaint or grievance. Parishes should consider how to facilitate this e.g. through a subcommittee of the Select Vestry. In certain circumstances Select Vestries may need to seek legal advice.

It is important that a complaint or grievance, which does not relate to abuse, can be dealt with in a separate procedure.

Grievance Procedure

This procedure is appropriate for all non-child protection concerns regarding the conduct or practice of staff and volunteers. A grievance procedure should be included within a contract of employment of any paid member of staff.

Staff Records

It is best practice for written records to be kept of all training completed by staff and volunteers, support and supervision meetings held and all annual appraisals/reviews. Both parties should agree the content of the records and each should have a copy. These records should be stored confidentially and in line with the Church of Ireland data protection policy.