Requirements
4.4.1 When applying for a volunteer role that falls within the scope of this code, all applicants must be given access to the following information:
- The church body’s:
- Statement of its commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
- Safeguarding Policy.
- Safer Recruitment Policy.
- Whistleblowing Policy.
- Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy1
- The volunteer role description and person specification.
- The selection procedure for the role.
- A privacy notice detailing how the volunteer’s personal data will be processed during the recruitment and selection process.
- 4.4.2 An application form must be used for recruitment to all volunteer posts that fall within the scope of this code. CVs must not be accepted on their own.
- 4.4.3 All application forms for volunteer roles must ask for:
- Personal details including current names and contact details (home address, email address, telephone number).
- Qualifications, where appropriate/required.
- A personal statement addressing the criteria set out in the person specification, including details of the skills and attributes the volunteer believes they bring to the role.
- A completed Church of England Confidential Declaration form (see Section 4.5: Confidential Declaration Forms).
- Details of appropriate referees (see Section 4.8: Pre-appointment checks).
- Full history and description of work with children, young people and/or vulnerable adults, whether paid or voluntary, with dates, and, where applicable, an explanation of any gaps.
- Full history and description of church involvement where it includes work with children, young people and/or vulnerable adults, with dates and, where applicable, an explanation of any gaps.
- A declaration that all information provided on the application form is “true & complete”.
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This document is only necessary if the church body is a Registered Body or is in receipt of DBS Update Service information. A registered body is an organisation that has registered with the DBS to submit standard and enhanced checks and is entitled by law to ask an individual to reveal their full criminal history.
Guidance
4.4.1 – 4.4.3 Application Process
Why?
An application pack and the completion of an application form is important in relation to safeguarding for the following reasons:
- It reinforces the value that the church body places on work with children, young people and vulnerable adults and the seriousness with which it takes the appointment of those who work with such groups.
- It gives a clear signal to anyone intent on abusing the trust placed in them that the church body is vigilant about the safety and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
How?
Every volunteer should be expected to complete an application form and it is important that all candidates are treated fairly and in a transparent and equitable way, however well they are known. A standardised application form helps ensure information can be gathered in a consistent format.
In some church bodies, application packs may be in paper format, but in others this will mean providing a link to the church body’s website where all relevant information can be found, including the relevant statements and policies as outlined in this code.
The application form should include important information about a volunteer’s history, including their experience of working or volunteering with the relevant group (i.e. children, young people and/or vulnerable adults) and their motivation for volunteering with this group. Only information that is needed to assess the individual’s suitability at this stage should be requested.
Whilst some applicants might find it hard to remember full histories, any gaps must still be identified and explored as far as possible.
It is good practice to include a declaration on the volunteer application form that all information provided is “true & complete”.
Example:
“I confirm that to the best of my knowledge the information I have provided on this form is correct and I accept that providing deliberately false information could result in the termination of my role as a volunteer”.
If the individual is shortlisted (see Section 4.6: Shortlisting), then the information provided within an application form can be followed up during the subsequent interview process, e.g. if someone has moved from role to role, each time getting involved in children’s and/or vulnerable adults’ work for only a relatively short time, or there are large and/or frequent gaps in someone’s history then these are things that should be flagged and explored during the interview.
Toolkit: