Difficult times often bring out the best in people and there has been a surge in community volunteering initiatives since the pandemic. However, keeping people safe and ensuring that robust safer recruitment procedures are implemented must always be a priority and churches should apply the same standard of safeguarding in this area.

What does safer recruitment involve?

providing a job description and a person specification
completing an application form (informal if preferred)
completing a self-declaration of criminal history
a face-to-face interview (or informal interview)
checking references
completing a DBS check
having a trial period.

Which roles are eligible for DBS checks?

Please see paper S3 from Good Practice 6 here for information on URC roles eligible for a criminal record check.

Your church should also:

Take advice from DDC (our DBS checking provider) or Belinda Herbert if unsure about DBS checks.
Revisit your volunteer role descriptions and risk assess volunteering activities for potential for harm.
Continue to apply for DBS checks on roles that require them and ensure that Workers do not start until a satisfactory clearance is received.
Review your lone working policy and ensure protections are in place for volunteers if they are in the building alone or supporting people in the community on their own.
Consider enrolling new Workers on the online safeguarding training for anyone undertaking a new role.
Remember that Safer Recruitment is more than a DBS check!

Please ensure that you keep all records related to a person’s safer recruitment and store them confidentially.

Additional resources can be downloaded from here to support the Safer Recruitment process at your church:

SR1: Volunteer application form (PDF | 208kb) (Word | 35kb)

SR2: Volunteer reference request form (PDF | 207kb) (Word | 36kb)

SR3: Sample questions on safeguarding for interviews and discussions (PDF | 127kb) (Word | 35kb)

As well as guidance from the main URC Safeguarding page: https://urc.org.uk/safeguarding/safer-recruitment/

Volunteers and Safer Recruitment

Community Volunteers and Safer Recruitment

What does safer recruitment involve?

Which roles are eligible for DBS checks?

Volunteers and Safer Recruitment

​Community Volunteers and Safer Recruitment

What does safer recruitment involve?

Which roles are eligible for DBS checks?

Community Volunteers and Safer Recruitment