Pre‑employment and Safer Recruitment Screening
Pre‑employment and safer recruitment screening is a series of checks carried out to help local churches, circuits, districts and other Methodist Church employing bodies make informed decisions about the suitability of individuals to work for, volunteer with, or carry out duties on their behalf.
These checks help ensure compliance with relevant legislation (including safeguarding law, charity governance requirements, data protection, and the Right to Work in the UK) and are essential to safeguarding children, young people, adults at risk, congregations, and the wider community.
All individuals entering employment or volunteer roles within the Church will undergo an appropriate level of screening. The level of checking will reflect the nature of the role, the degree of responsibility involved, and the type of contact with vulnerable groups.
Levels of Checks
The level of checks carried out will be determined by a risk‑based assessment, including:
- The nature of the role
- Contact with children, young people, or adults at risk
- Access to personal, financial, or sensitive information
- The degree of trust, responsibility, and supervision involved
Core (Basic) Checks
These apply to all paid roles and most volunteer roles:
- Verification of identity
- Confirmation of Right to Work in the UK (for paid roles)
- Employment history and references (or character references for volunteers)
- Qualification and professional registration checks where relevant
- Declaration of criminal convictions (as appropriate to role)
Safeguarding Checks (Disclosure and Barring Service – DBS)
For roles involving regulated activity with children or adults at risk, the Church will require a DBS check at the appropriate level:
- Standard DBS Check: may be used for certain roles involving trust or responsibility
- Enhanced DBS Check: required where there is regular contact with children or adults at risk
- Enhanced DBS with Barred List(s): required where the role involves regulated activity
*A criminal record does not automatically prevent appointment. Each case is considered individually, with safeguarding, proportionality, and fairness in mind.
Additional Checks (Where Relevant)
Depending on the role, additional checks may include:
- Financial checks (for relevant roles)
- Occupational health information (for employed roles, where appropriate)
- Professional conduct or fitness‑to‑practice checks
Pre‑Employment Process
- Documentation at Interview
Applicants will be asked to provide original documents to verify identity, right to work (where applicable), and qualifications. These will be checked and returned promptly. - Conditional Offer
Any offer of employment or appointment is conditional on satisfactory completion of all required checks. - Disclosure and Declarations
Applicants must provide full and accurate information. Any omissions or misleading information may result in withdrawal of the offer or future removal from role. - Health and Capability
For employed roles, a basic health declaration or occupational health assessment may be requested, proportionate to the role. - Roles Exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Some church roles are exempt due to safeguarding responsibilities. Applicants for such roles must declare all convictions, including those considered “spent”.
Failure to disclose relevant information may lead to disqualification from appointment. - Decision‑Making
Information gathered is considered carefully by those with delegated authority (e.g. Church Council, Circuit Meeting, or trustees), often with advice from safeguarding or employment/ HR specialists.
Decisions are made fairly, consistently, and in line with Methodist safeguarding policy. - Confidentiality and Data Protection
All information is handled in strict confidence and stored, retained, or destroyed in line with data protection legislation and Methodist Church policy. - Equality and Inclusion
All applicants are treated impartially and consistently, regardless of disability, age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious belief. Reasonable adjustments will be made where needed.
Proof of eligibility to work in the UK
Employing bodies should conduct a right to work check before they employ a person to ensure they are legally allowed to do the work. If an individual’s right to work is time limited, employers should conduct a follow-up check shortly before it is due to come to an end. Ideally eligibility documents should be collected at the interview
There are two types of right to work checks; a manual check and an online check. Conducting either the manual check or the online check are set out in ‘An employer’s guide to right to work checks’ published by the Home Office: www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide
It is important to refer to this guidance as it explains what employers must do to prevent illegal working in the UK and how to carry out document checks on people before employing them to make sure they are allowed to work.
Any checks that are made should be done in a non-discriminatory manner in accordance with the government guidance. The guidance recommends that all job applicants should be treated in the same way.
Document checking process for every new prospective employee:
Step 1
In order to comply with the Immigration Asylum and Nationality Act, all candidates/applicants should be asked to bring the following documents to their interview so that copies of them can be taken and certified. The documents you may accept from a person to demonstrate their right to work are set out in two lists – List A and List B.
Step 2
You are required to check the validity of the documents and be satisfied that the prospective, or existing employee, is the rightful holder of the documents they present.
Step 3
Make sure you keep a photocopy of the documents shown to you as evidence.
Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 sets out the law on the prevention of illegal working.
- It makes it a criminal offence for employer’s to employ someone aged 16 or over, who has no right to work in the United Kingdom, or no right to do the work we are offering.
- It gives employers a statutory defence against conviction for employing an illegal worker. You get this by checking and copying certain original documents belonging to prospective employee.
- It obliges employers to ensure that our recruitment practices do not discriminate against individuals on racial grounds.
In order to prevent employers committing such an offence, all offers of employment will be conditional upon the successful candidate providing either:
- ONE of the ORIGINAL documents included in LIST A ; OR
- TWO of the ORIGINAL documents in the combinations given in LIST B.
You do not need to produce documents from both lists.
This/these documents must be provided prior to the date of start of the post offered by employers and will be photocopied and held in your personnel record.
LIST A
- A passport showing that the holder is a British citizen, or has a right of abode in the United Kingdom.
- A document showing that the holder is a national of a European Economic Area or Switzerland. This must be a national passport or national identity card.
- A residence permit issued by the Home Office to a national from a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
- A passport or other document issued by the Home Office which has an endorsement stating that the holder has a current right of residence in the United Kingdom as the family member of a national from a European Economic Area country or Switzerland who is resident in the United Kingdom.
- A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay.
- A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay in the United Kingdom; and that this endorsement slows the holder to do the type of work you are offering if they do not have a work permit.
- An Application Registration Card issued by the Home Office to an asylum seeker that the holder is permitted to take employment.
LIST B
First combination
A document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance Number and name. This could be a P45, P60, National Insurance Card or a letter from a Government Agency.
Along with checking and copying a document giving the person’s National Insurance Number, You must also check and copy only ONE of the following documents.
- A full birth certificate issued in the United Kingdom, which includes the names of the holder’s parents: OR
- A birth certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland: OR
- A certificate of resignation or naturalisation stating that the holder is a British Citizen, OR
- A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay: OR
- An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay; OR
- A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can stay in the United Kingdom, AND this allows them to do the type of work you are offering; OR
- An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay in the United Kingdom, AND this allows them to do the type of work you are offering.
Second Combination
- A work permit or other approval to take employment that has been issued by Work Permits UK.
Along with a documents issued by Work Permits UK, you should also check and copy on of the following documents.
- A passport or other travel documents endorsed to show that the holder is able to stay in the United Kingdom and can take the work permit employment in question; OR
- A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder confirmed that the person named in it is able to stay in the United Kingdom and can take the work permit employment in question.
The legal framework
The way employers hire someone from outside the UK changed on 1 January 2021, when the Brexit transition period ended. There is now a points-based immigration system. This means that organisations and employing bodies need a sponsor licence to hire most employees and workers from outside the UK.
Employers will need a separate sponsor licence for each person that they want to hire. Find out more about UK visa sponsorship for employers on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/uk-visa-sponsorship-employers
Useful contacts
- Border and Immigration Agency’s Employer’s Helpline: Tel: 0845 010 6677
- Sponsorship and Employer’s Helpline: Tel: +44 (0) 300 123 4699
- Home Office UK Border Agency - Information for employers and sponsors
- Business Link - Check the eligibility of your migrant workers [interactive online tool]
- Home Office UK Border Agency - Working in the UK
- HM Revenue & Customs – Coming to work in the UK
Checking the References
The purpose of references is to obtain information, in confidence, from a third party, providing a factual account of a candidate's employment history, qualifications, experience and suitability for the post for which he/she has applied.
References should be kept confidential and must not be openly shared or discussed prior to the interview to ensure that subjective opinion is not allowed to unduly influence the selection process.
Often references are not received until after the interview date. In such circumstances any offers of employment are made conditional on receipt of satisfactory references.
Where time is of the essence references may be obtained prior to the interview but are only to be consulted (usually by the Chair)after the Panel has made the decision. References must not form part of the interview decision making process.
A sample of reference pro-forma may be used to capture information about the candidate’s suitability of the role.
Satisfactory Health Assessment
Under s.60 of the Equality Act 2010, employers must not ask job applicants to complete a medical/health questionnaire (or undergo a medical examination) prior to making a job offer. A medical / health questionnaire should therefore be requested from the potential new recruit after the conditional job offer has been made.
The Church/ Circuit/ District prior to formally offering the role to a Lay employee will have to identify a medical practitioner who would carry out the review and prepare a report, and will be responsible for any fee charged. The job description and the person specification should be provided to the medical practitioner. The employer should make clear what information is requested, for example, a view on whether the potential employee is able to carry out the duties without risk to his/her health.
Churches/ Circuits and Districts must take account of the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 when assessing the report. If it transpires that the potential employee has an underlying health condition that may amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010, they should seek further information about the nature of the health condition and the impact that it is likely to have on the individual's ability to do the job. Consideration should be given as to whether or not it can make reasonable adjustments to enable the individual to take up the post.
A medical condition will not automatically result in a decision to stop the appointment from proceeding. The candidate may qualify for the Government's Access To Work Programme (details of which are available at Access to Work). Where reasonable adjustments are agreed these must be recorded in writing.
If the employer fail to make reasonable adjustments, they may be liable for a successful claim of disability discrimination.
Therefore, until the additional information is obtained the employer may wish to issue only the letter offering the employment, specifying the conditions to be met. The Written Statement can then be issued once the conditions are met. (This does not apply to the condition relating to the probationary period.)
Template of a medical questionnaire form is available in the Downloadable Templates section.
Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Clearance - if applicable
For jobs involving regular contact with groups of children, young people and or vulnerable adults a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure must be obtained through Due Diligence Checking Ltd.
The Confidential Self-Declaration should be completed by the applicant before any criminal record check application is sent off. The purpose is to offer the applicant the opportunity to share any information before the disclosure certificate is received. The confidential declaration can also be used for other roles but can only request information about unspent / unfiltered convictions / cautions.
For detailed information please refer to: Safer Recruitment Policy Statement and Practice guidance for DBS checks (as part of Safer Recruitment) and other information from the Safeguarding section.
A medical questionnaire form is available in the Downloadable Templates Section.
Confirmation of relevant qualifications
Successful candidates will be required to provide copies of relevant qualifications as proof of attainment.
Use of social media in the recruitment process
Unless it is in relation to finding candidates (for example, if an individual has put their details on social media websites for the purpose of attracting prospective employers), churches and employing bodies should not, either themselves or through a third party, conduct searches on candidates on social media. This is because conducting these searches during the selection process might lead to a presumption that an applicant's protected characteristics (for example, sexual orientation or religious beliefs) played a part in a recruitment decision.
There should be no systematic or routine checking of prospective employees' online social media activities. Employers may be able to justify conducting searches on successful candidates only when these are directly relevant to the candidate's skills or claims that they have made in the recruitment process and if doing so is in line with their equal opportunities policy. For example:
- a prospective employee might claim that they have used social media in their previous job (for example, as a publicity tool)
- a prospective employee's social media use may be directly relevant to a claim made in their application (for example, if they run a blog based around a hobby mentioned in their CV or a skill in which they claim to be proficient).