FREE RESOURCE · CHILDREN’S HOMES, ENGLAND
The safer recruitment checklist.
Every member of staff in a children’s home needs a recruitment file that shows they are fit to work there. Ofsted will read these files. This is what goes in each one, in plain words, in the order you collect it.
Before the offer
A CV alone is not enough. The form must ask for a full work history and for permission to run checks.
Every job since leaving school, with dates. Any gap of a month or more needs a written reason, kept on file next to the history.
Who interviewed, when, what was asked about working with children, and why the person was chosen. Keep the notes.
Checks before the start date
One must be from the most recent employer. If they worked with children before, ask that employer why they left. Phone to confirm each reference is real, and note the call.
The right level for a children’s home. Record the certificate number and date. Decide your renewal cycle and write it down.
Checked and dated, with a copy of what you saw.
Passport or driving licence copied. Certificates for any qualification the role relies on, seen and copied.
A police check or letter of good conduct from each country they lived in as an adult.
A statement that the person is fit for the role, kept on file.
The gaps inspections find most often
A reference that was never verified by phone. A work-history gap with no written reason. A DBS with no renewal date, so nobody noticed it getting old. An interview with no notes. None of these are hard to fix. All of them are hard to fix on the day.
Staffbook keeps this file for every member of staff, and shows you the gaps before Ofsted finds them.
Book a look Get the free pack →This checklist is a plain-words guide, not legal advice. The requirements come from the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations. Check the current versions for your setting.