Safeguarding Children and Young People Safer Recruitment

Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley

HolyFamilyCatholicPrimary School

Serving the Community

Safeguarding Children and Young People – Safer Recruitment

The school’s management team is vigilant in ensuring that all recruitment and selection systems, processes and procedures are examined from a staff / child protection focus.

The school makes explicit its commitment to the provision and maintenance of a safe and supportive environment for all pupils, staff and others within the school community.

All applicants, short-listed candidates, contractors and service providers are advised about and understand the necessity of robust recruitment and selection practices that safeguards and supports pupils and adults within the school.

The school is clear about personal and professional boundaries, provides clarity about what is proper behaviour and has managers who are vigilant in pursuing inappropriate, unprofessional or abusive behaviour. In this regard, attention is drawn to the document ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ Statutory Guidance for Schools and Colleges September 2016.

The school’s child protection strategies include disciplinary procedures which deal effectively with those adults who fail to comply with school policies.

Schools paying for or using services satisfy themselves that those services have in place appropriate end effective arrangements for safeguarding and protecting children.

Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley

HolyFamilyCatholicPrimary School

Serving the Community

Dear Prospective Candidate

Important Information on Equal Opportunity

The principle of equal opportunity for all is consistent with social justice and with the Christian ideal of recognising the dignity and worth of all who work or wish to work in our schools. The Governing Body is therefore committed to employment procedures which comply with discrimination legislation and do not discriminate on ground of age, gender, race, colour, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, marital status or disability.

We recognise and value the current and future contribution to our school of staff who while not sharing out Catholic faith make a strong and sincere commitment to the schools Christian values and Mission Statement.

The preservation and development of the quality and distinctive nature of Catholic schools depends on the faith, practice and commitment of the teachers in the schools, working with their Governing Bodies. Some posts include specific responsibility for providing leadership and direction in the religious life and Catholic identity of the school and in these cases, for example, when appointing a Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher, there will be a requirement that the successful candidate is a baptised and practising Catholic. In other appointments, where two or more candidates for teaching posts are equally strong in the context of the criteria for appointment, preference may be given to a candidate who is Catholic.

In addition, the Governing Body recognises that the school and our Catholic teachers are called to be witnesses to Christ’s teachings. We therefore reserve the right as employers to take into consideration any personal behaviour or circumstances which are genuinely within an individual’s control and are incompatible with the precepts of or with the upholding of tenets of the Catholic Church or likely to be prejudicial to the Catholic character of the school. In doing so, we will seek always to give witness to the Christian pastoral principles of love, respect and reconciliation.

Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley

HolyFamilyCatholicPrimary School

Serving the Community

Dear Prospective Candidate

Important advice regarding faith references

As you are aware the person specification for the post to which you are making an application states that you are asked to provide a ‘positive and supportive faith reference from a priest where you regularly worship.’

At a time when priests are often assuming responsibility for larger pastoral areas it is becoming increasingly common for priests not to know parishioners as well as they might in the past. In the light of this we offer the following advice when seeking faith references.

1. Speak to the priest before completing your application and ask if he agrees to your including him as a referee.

1. Provide him with an outline of

• Your involvement in parish life e.g., Eucharistic minister, reader, etc (it may be that currently you are not heavily involved in parish life due to other commitments)

• Your present post - school, areas of responsibility

• The post to which you are applying – name of school, post, etc

By following the above advice you are able to prepare the priest for the reference request and so ensure it will be completed as fully as possible.