Recruitment & Selection Policy

The Scout Association recognises its staff as being fundamental to its success. A strategic and professional approach to recruitment processes helps enable the organisation to attract and appoint staff with the necessary skills and attributes to fulfil its strategic aims, supports the Scouts values and make a difference to the young people we serve.

The Scout Association is committed to ensuring that the recruitment and selection of staff is conducted in a manner that is efficient and effective and is also committed to improve diversity within the organisation, including racial diversity and the employment of people with disabilities.

This policy has been designed to provide a flexible framework which promotes good practice, adopts a proactive approach to equality and diversity issues and supports fully the Scout Association’s values and strategic plan to ensure appropriate staff are matched to the requirements of each position.

Professional advice and support is available at all stages of the recruitment process from the People team.

This policy applies to the recruitment and selection of all new staff to the Scout Association and internal recruitment processes for existing staff. All employees involved at any stage of the recruitment and selection of staff should be aware of and adhere to the contents of this policy and guidance.

In addition, any external consultants, recruitment agencies or external experts who assist in the recruitment process must act in accordance with this policy.

• To ensure that recruitment processes are fit for purpose and are conducted fairly
• To appoint and match the best person for each position
• To ensure compliance with the Scout Association’s policy on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• To ensure that appropriate vetting of candidates is undertaken, including appropriate Disclosure and Barring Services checks, Credit Checks for designated posts and checks against our internal Safeguarding database
• To ensure compliance with relevant employment legislation
• To promote the Scout Association’s values
• To meet the Scout Association’s operational requirements and strategic aims and objectives
• To ensure the financial resources of the Scout Association are safeguarded by recruiting suitable, competent staff efficiently and effectively

Managers should ensure all those involved in the recruitment process are competent and have the appropriate level of expertise and understanding of equalities principles. Recruitment and Selection guidance and training is available from the People team.

It is mandatory that all managers involved in the recruitment process have undertaken the Recruitment and Selection training as well as the latest Diversity and Inclusion training on offer at the Scouts.

Staff involved in the recruitment process should be aware of their responsibilities under the relevant legislation which include:

• Equality Act 2010
• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975
• Asylum and Immigration Act 2004
• The Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002
• Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
• Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR

If a member of staff involved in the recruitment process has a friendship, professional relationship or family connection with an applicant they must declare this as soon as they are aware of the individual’s application and the Appointing Manager will make a decision as to whether it is appropriate for the individual to continue to be part of the recruitment process.

Documentation relating to applicants will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR (Data Privacy Legislation). Applicants will have the right to feedback and to access data held about them in accordance with their rights under the Data Privacy Legislation. Documentation relating to applicants for jobs will be held securely and will be retained for 6 months after the recruitment process has been completed. Individuals who have indicated they want to be part of the talent pool will be retained for 2 years.

The policy will be operated in line with our current Data Protection, Employee Privacy Notice and Retention Policies which can be found at:

Data Retention Policy

Data Protection Policy

Employee Privacy Notice

The Appointing Manager should, before commencement of a recruitment campaign, consider whether there is a need to recruit. Managers should consider whether the work can be distributed differently, whether the role needs to be full time and whether it should be permanent or a fixed term contract. The Appointing Manager will need to determine the level of approval required for their vacancy.

The email approval from the Head of Service should be sent to the Recruitment Manager in order to commence the recruitment campaign. ELT approval will be sent to the People team

Where required the Appointing Manager should complete the Recruitment Request Form, which can be found on the People Team SharePoint site, under the ‘Recruitment’ tab, and obtain approval from their Director to submit the form to the Talent Acquisition Manager. This will then be submitted by the People team to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) for approval at their weekly meeting. The People team will then inform the Appointing Manager of ELT’s decision. 

Please see the Establishment control and staff cost process.

Positions which have not been previously evaluated or jobs which have changed in regard to content and responsibility should be formally evaluated to determine the correct Band (and salary) in line with our Salary Policy. Appointing Managers should liaise with the People team for further information in regards to the job evaluation process. If the job is substantially the same as it was previously there is no need for re-evaluation under the Job Evaluation scheme. Should an existing role require re-evaluation, the Appointing Manager will require approval from their Director.

At the Scout Association, we use an Applicant Information Pack, the template for this can be found on the People Team SharePoint site. The Applicant Information Pack should be used to describe the purpose and key accountabilities of the role.

This document is also used to set out the person specification which lists the criteria needed for the successful applicant. Both the job description and person specification should be reviewed before commencing recruitment. The person specification is the key to a fair selection process and is used as the basis for shortlisting. All person specifications should state only essential criteria for the role; including desirable criteria will decrease the number of candidates attracted to the role and is therefore not considered good practice in relation to our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) commitments.

Where regulated activity is essential part of the role, this should be clearly stated. Appointing Managers will also complete a Recruitment Plan, which can be found on the People Team SharePoint site, under the ‘Recruitment’ tab here, this form details the whole timeline of the campaign and should be sent it to the Recruitment team together with the Applicant Information Pack.

In order to meet our commitment to creating as diverse a workforce as possible, our standard practice is to advertise all jobs both externally and internally at the same time. However, in exceptional circumstances, the job may be advertised on an internal-only basis, but this decision should be taken by your Head of Service.

The Recruitment team will place all vacancies on the Scouts website and in the weekly staff email. External advertising for each job will be agreed by the Appointing Manager and the Recruitment team in line with the specific role, using industry or job specific job boards, general job boards and social media such as Linked In. All advertisements should be clearly written and free from jargon and discrimination, direct or indirect.

The salary information for all roles must be clearly detailed in the advert and the Applicant Information Pack. The Talent Acquisition Manager will monitor and evaluate our recruitment advertising performance and costs to ensure best value for money in resourcing applicants.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) considerations should underpin all recruitment activity and should be based on the principles set out in The Scouts’ EDI Policy. The Scouts is committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce through using the principle of recruiting for potential where possible and also taking ‘positive action’ initiatives into a recruitment and selection process.  ‘Positive Action’ is set out in the Equality Act 2010 and refers to a variety of measures designed to counteract the effects of past discrimination, for example:

• Placing advertisements in minority ethnic press or job boards, websites targeted at women and any other platform which is targeted at groups which are under-represented within our workforce
• Including statements in advertisements that encourage individuals from under-represented groups to apply for the advertised position
• Considering questions during short listing and interview processes to determine if a person’s lived experiences may provide the transferrable skills needed to undertake a role, rather than concentrating solely on work experience

If a particular role must genuinely be filled by an employee of a specific gender or race, or one who holds a specific religious belief, this may be deemed to be a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR). Advice from the People team should be taken in these circumstances. All applicants are also asked to complete the Scouts Diversity Monitoring Form, which is kept separate from their applications, only accessed and viewed by the People team and not shared with the shortlisting panel. The data will only be shared anonymously with ELT with a view to monitoring our diversity targets. 

Much of the information recorded on these forms is considered ‘special category data’ under the Data Protection Act 2018. As such extra care and attention will be given to the handling of this data.

As part of the Scout Association’s Diversity and Equalities commitment, applicants who have a disability are encouraged to apply for jobs with us and we are signed up to the Government’s Disability Confident Employer Scheme and are committed to:

• Actively look to attract and recruit disabled people
• Provide a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process, making reasonable adjustments to the interview and application process where appropriate
• Offer an interview to all disabled people who meet the minimum essential criteria for the role they have applied for
• Demonstrate flexibility when assessing applicants so disabled people have the best opportunity to demonstrate that they can do the job they have applied for

For those unable to apply for our vacancies through the online system other alternative methods of applying will be offered upon notification to the Recruitment team. Standard interview invitation letter/emails to all candidates should also include a question asking them to notify Scouts of any reasonable adjustments required to attend the interviews. Interviews may be held in person or via Microsoft Teams. Where possible accommodation should be made for e.g. adjustment for dyslexia or wheelchair access. The People team will ask all new starters to declare any disability and collect and keep this information through a new starter form. Upon declaration, the People team shares this information with the line manager of the new starter and provides guidance and support.  

For all external vacancies, Appointing Managers should normally allow at least two weeks i.e. from when the vacancy goes live to the closing date. Internal vacancies can be circulated for one week at a minimum. All applicants will receive an auto acknowledgement email from our Applicant Tracking System (ATS) upon applying advising them of the next steps. The Recruitment team electronically provide job applications to the Appointing Manager and panel members to shortlist. 

The shortlisting process involves assessing each application against each essential criteria in the person specification using a short listing matrix which can be found on the People Team SharePoint site, under the ‘Recruitment’ tab. Collective shortlisting by the panel is required for all the vacancies in order to prevent any unconscious bias and prejudice and the outcome of the shortlisting process should be carefully recorded.  Lived experience and potential should be considered where no or limited formal qualifications or experience is evident in the application. Appointing Managers should send their notes to the Recruitment team for the provision of feedback should applicants request it. 

All internal candidates should be shortlisted if they meet the essential criteria for the job. The Appointing Manager should provide thorough and constructive feedback to all internal candidates.

The Appointing Manager should determine the selection methods to be used for shortlisted candidates but this will always include an interview. Other selection methods available can be used and advice on these can be obtained from the People team. It is important to carefully consider the weighting of each selection method as some candidates will perform better in one than the other. Be mindful of accessibility in the methods offered:

• Written or in tray Exercise
• Psychometric test
• Presentation
• Group exercise
• Assessment days made up of group activities and individual interviews
• Other tests specific to the role e.g. organising data into a spreadsheet

Depending on the nature of the role, one interview may be arranged or a two-stage process – the Appointing Manager should determine this. The final or only interview will be undertaken by all members of the agreed Selection Panel together and they will prepare appropriate questions designed to ascertain the extent to which the applicants meet the criteria within the person specification and record their notes on an Interview Questions and Comments Matrix.

The panel should then score the candidates against each criteria in the person specification – using notes from the interview and information from any other selection methods used - by using a rating system and record their scores on a Selection Scoring Sheet, these templates can be found on the People Team SharePoint site, under the ‘Recruitment’ tab here. The Selection Scoring Sheet will support Appointing Managers in providing the Recruitment team with tangible feedback for Interviewee’s that can be related back to the requirements in the Person Specification.

The interview is also an opportunity for the Appointing Manager to promote the role and the organisation to the candidates and for the candidates to find out more about the job by asking questions of the panel and/or meeting other staff within the team and should be shown around the workplace where possible.

Appointing Managers should inform the Recruitment team of the candidates they have short listed, dates and times of when the interviews should take place, as well as providing the interview questions, any presentation topics and details of any tests to be undertaken. The Recruitment team will provide support in setting up the interviews.

All Interview Questions and Comments Matrixes with notes and completed Interview Scoring Sheets should be sent to the Recruitment team for recording centrally.

All Scouts interviews need to have a wide range of panel composition which is as gender and racially balanced as possible and may include managers from other departments or volunteers within the movement. Interviews should be conducted by no fewer than two panel members.

The selection panel should carefully select a successful candidate after thorough consideration and a fair comparison of all candidates. It is best practice to take the Selection Scoring Sheet to a senior manager to review the panel’s final decision. The Appointing Manager will contact the successful candidate and make a verbal offer, allowing time for the candidate to consider the offer as appropriate. 

Such an offer will be made subject to our obtaining satisfactory references, confirmation of the Right to Work in the UK, a check on our internal Safeguarding database, an appropriate DBS check and any other requirements of the job. After a verbal acceptance from the candidate, the Appointing Manager should inform the Recruitment team about the outcome.  The Appointing Manager should provide feedback to the Recruitment team for unsuccessful candidates. All the notes from the selection process should be given to the Recruitment team for safekeeping and will be destroyed in line with the Scouts Data Retention Policy.

The Recruitment team will send a ‘conditional offer letter’ to the successful candidate, subject to pre-employment checks. The following checks will be carried out by the Recruitment team:

• Right to work in the UK
• Check against Scouts’ internal Safeguarding database for any Safeguarding concerns raised
• References covering the last two years, or five years for roles involving regulated activity
• Basic DBS Checks for all staff for roles not involving regulated activity
• Enhanced DBS checks with a check on the Children’s barring list for staff in regulated activity. See Appendix A for staff who are required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check for their role and the DBS process map
• Qualifications (if an essential requirement of the role)
• Driving Licence (for designated regional roles or roles where driving is a requirement of the role)
• Credit check for staff recruited for an Insurance Distribution role or a role that has responsibilities relating to finance or the company accounts at Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity)
• Training records to evidence compliance with the minimum requirement of 15 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) each year (if from an Insurance background), for staff recruited for an Insurance Distribution role or a role that has responsibilities relating to finance or the company accounts at Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity)

Staff recruited for an Insurance Distribution role or a role that has responsibilities relating to finance or the company accounts at Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity) will be required to sign a Declaration of Good Repute form before commencing their role and every year throughout their employment with Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity) and the Scout Association (Scouts), between 3 yearly Basic DBS and Credit checks. A Basic DBS check and credit check can be conducted after the start date. However, employment with Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity) and the Scout Association (Scouts) remains subject to these checks returning satisfactorily. Unsatisfactory checks being returned may lead to dismissal.

An offer of employment may be withdrawn if a candidate withholds information or knowingly provides false or misleading information or if any of the above checks are not satisfactorily completed. New staff should not commence work until the necessary checks have been completed, with the exception of the Basic DBS check and Credit check for staff recruited for an Insurance Distribution role or a role that has responsibilities relating to finance or the company accounts at Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity).

All potential employees are required to provide evidence of entitlement to work in the UK. Through the Asylum and Immigration Act 2008, all employers have an obligation to check the eligibility of an individual’s entitlement to work in the UK. The Recruitment team will check and validate individual’s right to work by requesting the appropriate documentation and ensuring all documents are appropriately copied and stored. Please see Appendix B for a list of appropriate documentation. Where Appointing Managers are acting on behalf of the Recruitment team due to distance, the Recruitment team will ask line manager to see the original documents, copy, sign, date it and return it to the Recruitment team.

The Recruitment team will arrange internal vetting of successful candidates by conducting a check on our Internal Safeguarding database, which will provide basic information as to whether there is a red flag against a candidate’s name. Where a red flag is identified the Recruitment team will provide details to the Safeguarding team in order for them to conduct a risk assessment, considering the concern raised and the nature of the role applied for. Full details of the Safeguarding concern will not be provided to the Recruitment team and only cleared candidates will be able to proceed further with all other required pre-employment checks. Candidates who are unsuccessful at this stage will be provided with contact details of the Safeguarding team to query the concern raised. All applicants will be informed at the application stage of the recruitment process that we will check their details against our internal Safeguarding database and they will be required to explicitly consent to the check being undertaken.

Obtaining satisfactory references is a critical part of the selection process. At Scouts, we take references that cover the last two year of the applicant’s employment history where possible or five years if the applicant will be working in a role that involves regulated activity. Where a gap in employment is identified, the Recruitment team will ask the candidate to provide clarification or an additional reference.  References must be checked against the applicant’s previous employment and education/training history. the Recruitment team will make and validate reference requests and share these with the Appointing Manager who is responsible for confirming the references are satisfactory.  

A Basic DBS check will be undertaken for every successful candidate and roles covered by the Regulated Activity which fall into Group One in Appendix A, will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. Regulated Activity is defined as ‘teaching, training or instruction of children/vulnerable adults, carried out by the same person frequently (once a week or more often), or on 4 or more days in a 30-day period, or overnight’. All applicants will be made aware of the level of DBS check that will be carried out for them and will be required to give their explicit consent for this to happen. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) require that, staff recruited for an Insurance Distribution role or a role that has responsibilities relating to finance or the company accounts at Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity) are required to have a Basic DBS check when they are appointed and every 3 years throughout their employment with Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity).

Spent convictions are those convictions or cautions that have reached a set Rehabilitation period as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and are removed from an individual's criminal record. Spent convictions will not appear on Basic DBS checks, but will appear on Enhanced DBS checks. Unspent convictions or cautions are those records that have not yet reached this defined time and will appear on a Basic and Enhanced DBS checks. A table of rehabilitation periods can be found on the government website.

It is The Scout Association’s policy to require applicants to disclose any 'unspent' criminal convictions as part of their application for all roles. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (amended) ex-offenders are not required to disclose to prospective employers, convictions defined as 'spent' under the Act. However, there are certain exceptions where you do have to disclose your caution or conviction even if it is spent. These are listed in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 and subsequent amendments. The positions listed in the Exceptions Order primarily relate to particularly sensitive areas such as work with children and vulnerable adults, work in law enforcement and the legal system, and high level financial positions. Where an exception to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act exists then you must list all cautions and convictions, even if they are spent. At Scouts we have complied with this Order by creating a list of all the roles for which Enhanced DBS checks are required and applicants are required to disclose ‘spent’ convictions, this is at Appendix A.

The Scout Association will not discriminate unfairly against applicants with a criminal record. Having a criminal conviction or caution will not necessarily bar an applicant from working for The Scout Association. A number of factors will be considered, such as;

• the nature of the conviction or caution
• the person’s age at the time of the offence
• how long ago the offence took place
• whether it was an isolated offence or part of a pattern of offending
• the relevance to the post in question
• what else is known about the person’s conduct before and since the offence

Where a conviction has been disclosed in an individual's application for a post at The Scout Association and that applicant is selected for interview, a discussion will take place at the end of the interview regarding the offence and its relevance to the position. Failure to reveal information relating to convictions or cautions will lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment, or termination of employment.

A person who is barred from working with vulnerable groups applying for a role in ‘regulated activity’ will not be employed by the Scout Association; it is a criminal offence to employ a person in a 'regulated position' where they have been barred from working with vulnerable groups.

All staff are required to disclose to The Scouts Association if at any point during your employment you have been subject to a police investigation or criminal proceedings or have been convicted or cautioned for any offence. Disclosure is to be made confidentially to the line manager who will consider the effect of the offence on the employee's post in discussion with a member of the People team. Disclosures relating to vulnerable groups will be referred to a Scout Association Safeguarding Contact who will consider whether a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service is necessary.

The purpose of the qualification check is to ensure that the candidate has the right expertise to perform the job they are hired to do. Any qualifications that are required to undertake the role will be listed as an essential criterion of the person specification, for example CIPD qualified, certified solicitor or accountant. Copies of certificates will be checked with the awarding body and will be kept with the individual’s employment record.

Where driving is an essential part of the role, it will be listed in the person specification and successful candidates are asked to provide their full driving licence. A copy will be taken and kept with the individual’s employment record. 

Due to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) regulatory changes, staff recruited for an Insurance Distribution role or a role that has responsibilities relating to finance or the company accounts at Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity) are required to have a credit check when they are appointed and every 3 years throughout their employment with Scouts Insurance Services Ltd (Unity) and the Scout Association (Scouts).

Due to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) regulatory changes, staff who come from an Insurance background and are recruited for an Insurance Distribution role are required to evidence compliance with the minimum requirement of 15 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) each year. The Recruitment team will record this information on the individual’s employment record as part of pre-employment checks.

The Recruitment team and the Appointing Manager will liaise with each other about the progress on pre-employment checks and agree a start date with the successful candidate. The Recruitment team will issue a contract of employment before the start date together with new starter forms to complete. New starters are required to complete these forms and return them to the Recruitment team. The Recruitment team will compile and pass new starter information (appointment form & P45/HMRC checklist) to   Payroll within the monthly deadline. If the new starter commences their employment after the 6th of the month, they will be enrolled onto the next monthly payroll and paid in the following month.  The Recruitment team will enter new starter details into the HR system and provide access to the self-service facility to the new starter. The Recruitment team will create an electronic folder for new employees and file all the completed and signed documents.

Secondments are a good way to share expertise across the organisation and provide development opportunities for staff. However, consideration must be given to the fact that these arrangements could leave teams short staffed, either for a short time while recruitment to back fill the substantive post is undertaken, or for a long time should there be a decision not to back fill the substantive post, or no suitable candidates are sourced.

When recruiting to fixed term roles at the Scouts, the application form will request that internal applicants confirm that they have informed their current Managers before applying for the roles on a secondment basis and have obtained agreement. This allows Managers to consider whether the operational requirements of the substantive role and/or the team can accommodate this, given the length of the secondment and the ability to back fill the substantive post within a manageable timeframe on a fixed term basis.

Should a Manager consider the circumstances not to be operationally viable for the role and/or the team, the Manager should ensure the staff member enquiring about a secondment is given a clear explanation as to why a secondment cannot be agreed.

The staff member can then consider if they want to leave their substantive post for the new post, even though in some cases the staff member may be leaving a permanent contract role for a fixed term contract role. Continuity of service would not be affected should this decision be taken.

Although this scenario would leave the substantive post’s team short staffed, it does allow for the substantive post’s Manager to recruit on a permanent basis, (where applicable), rather than on a fixed term basis which can sometimes be harder to recruit to.

Should a Manager give a member of their team agreement to apply for a fixed term role on secondment and they are successful in securing that role, the Appointing Manager and the substantive post’s Manager should discuss start dates which are manageable for both parties and let the Recruitment team know. 

Both Managers in a secondment situation should consider IT equipment. The staff member will take their kit with them to the secondment role, which was paid for from the substantive post’s team budget. If a back fill is required, the substantive post’s team budget will have to cover further kit for the new staff member back filling the role. So arrangements should be made for the cost to be transferred from the budget the staff member is seconded to, into the budget for the substantive post.

Other things to consider include entitlements only afforded in the substantive post and not the secondment post, such as company cars, car allowances and cash floats. We ask that the substantive post’s Manager inform the Recruitment team of the need for any entitlements to be temporarily removed for the duration of a secondment, and make arrangements with the staff member for the return of any company car or other equipment. The Recruitment team will ensure this is clear in the secondment confirmation letter.

Where temporary work is available for a short period, on an interim basis, a more flexible approach may be taken with recruitment procedures, as is reasonably practicable in such a situation. Appointing Managers may use their own networks or a local agency to find individuals to work as casual staff, temporary staff or Contractors for the Scouts. Appointing Managers should request the Talent Acquisition Manager reviews any agency terms and conditions before agreeing to engage them. The Recruitment team will also have a preferred supplier list of agencies we have already agreed terms with. 

Casual staff will go through an on-boarding process and be issued with a Casual Agreement. Temporary or agency staff are required to sign our standard non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in the absence of an employment contract. The NDA should be completed by the hiring manager and signed by the temporary agency staff.

Appointing Managers should consult the People team before planning to hire a contractor in order to ensure that this is being carried out in line with our procurement and IR35 policies. Contractors are required to sign a Consultancy Agreement, which will be prepared by the Appointing Manager and checked by the People team. The Appointing Manager is also required to complete the HMRC online CEST tool to confirm the Contractor’s status as self-employment and provide the People team with the PDF result. The People team will then provide the Contractor with a Status Determination Statement for them and any third party agency (where applicable) to confirm their agreement with the determined status.

Casual staff, temporary agency staff and Contractors should all be given the Scouts Yellow Card as our standard code of practice for working with children and young people. Under no circumstances should Casual staff, Contractors or temporary agency staff be hired to undertake a role in regulated activity without the required pre-employment checks. The People team’s advice should always be sought when individuals are engaged on a Consultancy Agreement to ensure that the nature of the work meets the requirements of HMRC and that the Consultancy Agreement is correctly drawn up.

The Recruitment team will conduct a Basic DBS check for all Casual staff, temporary agency staff and Contractors, not involved in regulated activity, once they are in post.

In line with the Scouts’ policies on Data Protection and Data Retention, information collected during the recruitment process will be destroyed six months after the completion of the recruitment campaign. Individuals who have indicated they want to be part of the talent pool will be retained for 2 years. All applicants will be informed of these policies and will have access to them at the application stage of the recruitment process.

The use of a an appropriate privacy notice at the point of application will ensure the applicants are aware of how we are using their data, their data subject rights, and details of the third party applicant tracing system being used.

All Staff working in Scout Adventures
Head of Scout Adventures
Deputy Head of Scout Adventures – Safety & Support
Deputy Head of Scout Adventures – Operations
Adventure Experience Managers
Deputy Adventure Experience Managers
Adventure Experience Coordinators
General Manager
Lead Instructors
Seasonal Instructors
Scout Adventures Apprentices
Catering Manager
Cook 
Catering Assistant
Event Operations Manager
Volunteering Manager
Volunteer Programme Manager
Adventure Infrastructure Coordinator
Training Coordinator
Systems Administrator
Customer Experience and Engagement Manager

All staff working in the Media Team
Head of Media
Media Relations Manager
Junior Media Relations Officer

Members of the Early Years Programme Team
Programme Design Managers (Early Years)
Programme Delivery Executives (Early Years)

All staff working in the Growth and Communities Team, Volunteering Operations
Deputy Chief Volunteering Officer
Growth and Communities Managers
Local Growth Operations Manager
Growth and Recruitment Officers
Local Growth Assistants
Local Growth Officers
Local Growth Lead Officers
Head of Inclusive Growth
Growth Managers
Project Coordinators
Development Team Assistants

All staff working in the Events Team, Member Support
Events and Contingents Programme Manager
Events and Contingents Officer
Events and Contingents Administrator

Staff members who undertake regulated activity as part of their paid role. For someone to be considered under this section this must be agreed with the Head of People and the Chief Operating Officer (Lead Signatory for the Scout Association)

• Do they fall under regulated activity?
• Will they be assisting with an overnight activity?
• Will they be working with young people once a week or more (or on three occasions in a thirty day period)?
• Will they have unsupervised access to young people? (Unsupervised means not within sight and hearing of another adult who holds a valid Enhanced DBS check through Scouting)

If the answer is yes to any of the above they should be considered for an Enhanced DBS check.

The processing and recording of this initial Enhanced DBS check should be undertaken by HR and when it's time for re-checking (after 5 years) the individual must either:

• Go through the staff route (and that should be recorded by HR); OR
• If they have had an Enhanced DBS check as part of a Volunteer role in Scouting since the date of their initial Enhanced DBS check through the staff route, HR should check this against the individual’s Compass record, and with the Membership Engagement team if need be, and record it on the individual HR record setting the expiry date to match the expiry date on Compass.

View a graph displaying the enhanced DBS process for paid staff.

You must obtain original documents from either List A or List B of acceptable documents for a manual right to work check. You must check that the documents are genuine and that the person presenting them is the prospective employee or employee, the rightful holder and allowed to do the type of work you are offering. You must make a clear copy of each document in a format which cannot later be altered, and retain the copy securely: electronically or in hardcopy.

List A

1. A passport showing the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a British citizen or a citizen of the UK and Colonies having the right of abode in the UK.
2. A passport or national identity card showing the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
3. A Registration Certificate or Document Certifying Permanent Residence issued by the Home Office, to a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
4. A Permanent Residence Card issued by the Home Office, to the family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
5. A current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office to the holder indicating that the person named is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
6. A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, has the right of abode in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
7. A current Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the named person is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK or has no time limit on their stay in the UK, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
8. A birth (short or long) or adoption certificate issued in the UK, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
9. A birth (short or long) or adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.
10. A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.

List B Group 1

1. A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK and is currently allowed to do the type of work in question.
2. A current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the named person can currently stay in the UK and is allowed to do the work in question.
3. A current Residence Card (including an Accession Residence Card or a Derivative Residence Card) issued by the Home Office to a non-European Economic Area national who is a family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland or who has a derivative right of residence.
4. A current Immigration Status Document containing a photograph issued by the Home Office to the holder with a valid endorsement indicating that the named person may stay in the UK, and is allowed to do the type of work in question, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a Government agency or a previous employer.

List B Group 2

1. A Certificate of Application issued by the Home Office under regulation 17(3) or 18A (2) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, to a family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland stating that the holder is permitted to take employment which is less than 6 months old together with a Positive Verification Notice from the Home Office Employer Checking Service.
2. An Application Registration Card issued by the Home Office stating that the holder is permitted to take the employment in question, together with a Positive Verification Notice from the Home Office Employer Checking Service.
3. A Positive Verification Notice issued by the Home Office Employer Checking Service to the employer or prospective employer, which indicates that the named person may stay in the UK and is permitted to do the work in