7. Interview Preparation and Process

Preparation

Preparation for interview is essential to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible and that the right appointment is made. There are a number of considerations that have to be made prior to the interview stage:

• Interview panel
• Short listing
• References and checks
• Planning the interview
• Questions
• Closing the interview
• Record keeping
• Decision making

It may be helpful to develop an interview checklist to ensure that all aspects of interview are covered. You will also need to consider how long the process will take from advertisement to appointment.

Short listing

When the closing date has passed the short-listing process can take place. Short listing is to be carried out by the chosen interview panel. Prior to short listing the panel will need to decide and agree on the selection criteria and scoring system they will use and apply this consistently to all applicants.

Best practice would be for each of the interview panel members to separately assess the application forms against the essential criteria in the person specification, whilst taking into account the requirements of the job description and then compare the selections that have been made. The interview panel will need to ensure that the same criteria are followed for each applicant at the point of selection.

Take the time to carefully scrutinise the application forms. Make sure that you identify any gaps in employment that you will need to follow up in the interview. It is essential that you only accept your own application form, not CVs or any other form of application.

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (59:226) advises that:

• As part of the shortlisting process, you should consider carrying out an online search as part of your due diligence on the shortlisted candidates.
• This may help identify any incidents or issues that have happened, and are publicly available online, which the employer might want to explore with the applicant at interview.
• The employer should inform shortlisted candidates that online searches may be done as part of due diligence checks.

It is essential to keep a written record of all applications including those that are

shortlisted, those that are not selected, and the reasons for non-selection. The applicant may request access to their own records.

After the short-listing process has taken place, planning for the interview day is the next step.

Interview panel

Best practice would be an interview panel consisting of two people, one of whom should have attended safeguarding training and one with experience in safer recruitment. In committee-run settings, the chair of the interview panel will be the chair of the committee. Interview panels should include someone who has knowledge of the post being interviewed for. In some cases the interview panel may need to consider having a panel member with specialist knowledge.

Self-disclosure form

A self-disclosure form gives shortlisted or successful candidates the opportunity to tell you confidentially about any relevant criminal convictions, child protection investigations or disciplinary sanctions they have on their record. 

You can only ask for the information you are entitled to know about as a potential employer. What you can ask for, and when, will depend on the role they will be doing. For more information about this, see NSPCC's legislation and guidance section.

The form:

1.    Ensures applicants are aware that you are entitled to ask for this information

2.    Provides you with an opportunity to discuss and consider relevant information before findings from vetting and barring checks are received

3.    Helps deter unsuitable candidates and shows that you take safer recruitment seriously

Points to consider including on self-disclosure forms:

• If they have a criminal record
• If they are included on the children's barred list
• If they are prohibited from teaching
• Information about any criminal offences committed in any country in line with the law as applicable in England and Wales, not the law in their country of origin or where they were convicted
• If they are known to the police and children's local authority social care
• If they have been disqualified from providing childcare
• Any relevant overseas information

Your safer recruitment procedures should set out at what point in the process you should request a self-disclosure form. It should also set out when you should open a completed form.

Self-disclosure forms contain sensitive, confidential information. Forms should be submitted in a separate, sealed envelope marked 'Confidential' or through a secure, online system. Your organisation's policies and procedures on the retention, storage and destruction of records should set out in more detail the process for collecting, storing and disposing of opened and unopened self-disclosure forms.

See NSPCC's guidance on child protection records retention and storage

The self-disclosure form does not replace the need for a criminal record check, which should always be carried out as appropriate to the role.

The information provided should be considered as part of your vetting checks, applying a risk assessment process if information has been disclosed. You can find more information about risk assessments in the What to do if vetting checks raise concerns tab.

See NSPCC's example self-disclosure forms

References and checks

Prior to interviews taking place, two written satisfactory references must be obtained for each candidate, unless there has been a specific request for references not being sought until such time as a formal offer of employment has been made. At least one reference will be confirmed verbally in addition to the written references further enquiries can be made by telephone and this must be recorded and held on the personal file.

One of the two references must be from the applicant's current or most recent employer or education provider; the other should be from another previous employer.

Should the applicant not be able to provide a reference from a previous employer, it can be from someone that has known the candidate for a minimum of five years, who will be able to provide a reference that meets all the requirements and demonstrate their suitability for the post. References must not be accepted from relatives/partners.

Referees will be asked specific questions in relation to:

• The applicant's suitability to work with children and or young people
• Whether the referee has any concerns about the applicant taking on this job role
• Whether they have any knowledge of the applicant being investigated over safeguarding issues
• The reason for leaving this employment

References must be addressed to the chair of the interview panel and if not should be discounted. Under no circumstances should a reference addressed to 'whom it may concern' be accepted. It is important to note that under the Data Protection Act 2018 individuals can access the information held on their file and those giving references must be made aware that all information gathered will be subject to the principles of the Act. All Ofsted's Disclosure and Barring Service checks are processed by Capita. There are a number of organisations the registered person may wish to use to provide Disclosure and Barring Service checks for checking the suitability of those not required to undertake checks through Ofsted, including staff and all other people who live and work on the premises. Information on how to apply for checks can be found at DBS checks: detailed guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Track or view your DBS certificate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Applicants of a DBS check can apply to join the Update Service. The Update Service is an online subscription that allows the applicant to keep a standard or enhanced certificates up to date and allows employers to check a certificate online. Applicants  can join the Update Service as soon as they have an application form reference number DBS Update Service: applicant guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You must register for the Update Service within 30 days of the certificate being issued.

The progress of DBS applications can be tracked using the online tracking service. Further information about this process can be gained from: DBS checks: detailed guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Time must be allocated to check and verify the applicant's documents as they arrive for interview to ensure that they are satisfactory prior to the interview starting. This will include a completed enhanced DBS and barred list form and relevant documents such as photographic identification, original qualification certificates, as well as the applicant's eligibility to work in the UK if appropriate. It is a legal requirement for employers to check a person's suitability to work in the UK. Volunteers and applicants from overseas should be subject to further checks. Information can be gained from the gov.uk website: Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK

Providers must take appropriate steps to verify qualifications, including in cases where physical evidence cannot be produced.

Evidence, whether hard copy or electronic must leave you in in no doubt as to their validity. If unsure you must take further steps to ask for proof. This may be by asking for a hard copy of a certificate or any other written proof of the qualification being achieved.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide

Once an enhanced DBS and barred list check is returned and is clear, the setting will be required to hold the details of each DBS and barred list check in a single central record which must be stored securely and be available to Ofsted at inspection.

It is considered a criminal offence to employ, or for a person to put themselves forward for employment if they are named on the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) barring list. The barring list is for those that are barred from working with children and young people.

Providers also need to check:

• If a candidate has been resident overseas for 3 months or more over the past 5 years, you should check their criminal record in that country. The Home Office has issued guidance on this. Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK www.gov.uk
• The UK National Agency for International Qualifications and Skills can advise on how to check international qualifications
• If you cannot obtain an overseas checks, you should conduct a risk assessment to help make an informed decision about how best to proceed

Further information:

Ofsted - Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for those providers who register with Ofsted (Ref 090103)

DBS checks: detailed guidance - DBS checks: detailed guidance - GOV.UK

Track or view your DBS certificate - Track or view your DBS certificate - GOV.UK

For queries on matters relating to DBS checks contact The Disclosure and Barring Service Regional Outreach Service for the East of England

The DBS Regional Outreach service - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Planning the interview

All interviews must take place face-to-face with a panel and should never be on a one-to-one basis. The purpose of interview is to assess the applicants against the person specification and job description as well as to explore their motivation and suitability to work with children.

The next section provides a suggested interview structure and examples of different types of questions which can be used during the interview.

Questions need to enable candidates to demonstrate what their values and behaviours are and whether they fit in with those of the organisation.

When planning interviews, consideration needs to be given to:

• Location - choose a place that is quiet and private to allow for the interview to remain confidential
• Room layout - an informal seating arrangement is best to put candidates at ease so that you are more likely to get the information you need from your questions
• Meet and greet - somebody not involved in the interviews to meet and greet the candidates
• Timing - allow sufficient time for the interview to take place and for the recording of answers, decisions and to check the applicant's documents to ensure that they are satisfactory prior to the interview starting
• Decision making. Applicants may request to access their interview notes and selection decisions; therefore, the panel members will need to ensure they accurately record their comments in a way that could not be perceived as discriminatory
• Before commencing the interview the panel members should each give a brief introduction and explanation of their role and remind candidates that the first four questions will be exploratory questions (see the next section)

During the interview

• Before commencing the interview, the panel members should each give a brief introduction and describe their role and explain the format the interview will take
• Explore the applicant's motivation and suitability to work with children. To achieve this, use a range of different interview questions to explore their values, behaviours and experience
• Discuss your safeguarding policy to ensure that the applicant has the ability and commitment to meet the standards required
• A safeguarding scenario will be used to see how the applicant responds
• Explore any gaps in employment
• Candidates are asked to confirm whether they have ever had a safeguarding allegation made against them
• Records will be completed to show how the applicant has responded and scored on the questions

Questions

The panel will need to meet prior to interview to ensure they are familiar with the application forms and to develop a set of questions to be asked. For the interviews to be successful it is important that they are consistent therefore panel members will also need to decide what they expect from each question and what will determine a good answer from an inadequate answer.

Panel members will need to decide who will ask which questions and the scoring process to be used (see Appendix D). It should also be explained to the applicant that notes will be taken during the interview. The panel may consider who will be taking notes when the panel members are asking questions e.g. they may decide to take notes for each other.

Norfolk County Council recommends that the interview starts with exploratory questions which are designed to help determine the candidate's motivation and suitability to work with children, their emotional resilience to challenging situations and their attitudes to authority. If a disclosure is made at any part of the recruitment process, the appropriate referral process will be followed.

Questions must be formulated so that they give the applicants opportunities to demonstrate their suitability for the role and how they meet the requirements of the person specification and job description.

Additional information provided on the application form may be noted for interview.

A range of differing question styles should be used to elicit different responses:

Open: to allow for the applicant to give an informative response e.g. 'Can you tell me about your role and responsibilities in your current post?'

Probing: to allow for statements in previous questions to be followed up and gaps to be explored

Analytical: to allow the candidate to demonstrate how they can analyse their work and carry out tasks

Closed: to allow for clear, short answers to be given for specific questions

Competence and value based: to allow for exploration into how applicants may react to certain situations and the values they hold.

Questions must also include applicants confirming whether they have ever had an allegation or concern made against them. It is important to avoid making questions too long or to use questions within questions.

It is also important to ensure that any questions asked do not lead the applicant into answering in a certain way or to give the answer they may think the panel is expecting.

Supplementary questions may be asked to follow up any issues or areas that are not clear e.g. gaps in employment.

Hypothetical questions should be avoided.

Any disclosures made on the application form, or any gaps must also be followed up.

Closing the interview

At the end of the interview the panel should offer the applicant an opportunity to ask any questions they may have. They should also be asked if they are still interested in the post. The applicants should also be told how and when they will be informed of the outcome of the interview. Their availability and contact details should be checked.

Applicants must be told that any offer of employment will be conditional and subject to successful references and enhanced DBS and barred list checks. Applicants must be informed that the interview notes for all unsuccessful candidates will be held for six months and then shredded. Notes for successful candidates will be held on their personal file indefinitely. DBS forms for unsuccessful applicants will be shredded after interview.

Confidentiality

Panel members must ensure all interviews remain confidential and are not discussed outside the panel.

Record keeping of the interview

Records of each interview must be kept securely and the same scoring process applied consistently for each applicant (Appendix D). This information must be clear and accurate as it directly informs the decision making process and may be needed to feed back to unsuccessful candidates. The record of interview will help the panel determine who has best met the person specification and the requirements of the job description and is therefore the most suitable person for appointment.

Decision making

Following all interviews the panel should discuss their assessment of each applicant using the scoring process. It may be that two candidates have come through the interview process strongly so further analysis of the interview and the applicants' ability to meet the person specification may be required.

If there is no suitable candidate, then do not appoint.

Summary of a safer recruitment process

• Set time aside for planning and structuring the process
• Job description should be clear and include safeguarding references
• Job advertisement should include clear messages about safeguarding
• Only accept application forms, not CVs
• Obtain references prior to interview wherever possible
• Selection process should involve an interview and another selection tool such as a presentation
• Use probing interview questions to explore motives, attitudes and behaviours
• Ensure appropriate use of information surrounding criminal history
• Do not place over-reliance on vetting checks
• Maintain an on-going culture of vigilance within the organisation