1.
Introduction
You will be aware from previous information that you
have received that if you are successful at the assessment centre and are made
an offer, this is conditional upon the successful candidate meeting a number of
eligibility requirements and suitability checks, including:
Eligibility
- confirmation of right to work in the UK
- confirmation of academic qualifications (including
original formal certificates)
- satisfactory references
Suitability
- a satisfactory
enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
- a satisfactory
health check (usually by means of a self-declaration/disclosure alongside
additional verification from your GP and/or
consultant
and an Occupational Health assessment where necessary)
- other
relevant information/checks (such as those related to any disciplinary issues
at college/university or work and previous contact with
social care services).
Please note that Frontline aims to recruit a wide
range of individuals from diverse backgrounds. We do not wish to exclude those
who have a criminal record, experienced poor health, been subject to
disciplinary procedures or had contact with adult or children's social care
services, therefore, please be assured that your offer will not be automatically
withdrawn upon receipt of relevant information pertaining to these areas.
Frontline recognises that there is no simple criterion
of suitability, therefore, each case will be considered individually.
Following consideration of the information that you
provide, you may be asked to:
- provide further reflective/contextual information
(in relation to cautions/convictions, disciplinary matters, contact with social
care services and/or health conditions)
- attend an Occupational Health assessment
- attend a suitability panel
We will let you know if we feel that the information
that you have declared requires further exploration in the ways outlined above.
It is important that you provide any information that
is requested as soon as possible. Refusal to assist in this process or failure
to disclose relevant information that is subsequently discovered may result in
your conditional offer being withdrawn and, ultimately, your exclusion from the
programme.
Frontline's screening/assessment and decision-making
processes are informed by HCPC requirements, therefore, it may be helpful to
refer to HCPC guidance and standards relating to issues relating to conduct,
character or health (e.g. Conduct and Ethics for Students; Conduct, Performance
and Ethics; Health and Character; Managing Fitness to Practice; Standards of
Education and Training) which can be accessed via the HCPC website.
Further information relating to Frontline’s processes
can be found in the policies and procedures relating to suitability (available
upon request).
In the rare event that Frontline is unable to confirm
an offer following completion of these processes, you will be informed of the
reasons for this (subject to any restrictions on sharing confidential
information as per the Data Protection Act, 1998).
Please read and complete the following sections
carefully. If you are unsure about how to proceed, please contact a member of
the admissions team by emailing admissions@thefrontline.org.uk. However, please
be aware that any guidance provided cannot be taken as confirmation of your
suitability for professional training or practice.
Please be aware that while Frontline makes a
prospective judgment as to your suitability to train as a social worker on the
programme, HCPC ultimately makes the decision as to whether you are suitable for
entry on the professional register upon successful completion of the
qualifying programme (Year 1). Further information on HCPC processes for
considering these issues is available on their website:
http://www.hcpc-uk.co.uk/publications/
Once completed, please check, sign and date this
form, and submit it.
Criminal
convictions/cautions/warnings/reprimands/proceedings etc.
Social work is exempt from the provisions of the
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974), therefore, information relating to
previous cautions, convictions and/or pending/ongoing
police matters usually need to be disclosed, even if they would otherwise be
considered ‘spent’.
There are some exceptions to this in that since 2013 some
‘minor’ offences are filtered from Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates
and no longer need to be disclosed. However, this depends upon a number of
factors (that differ for different penalties/sanctions) which include, but are
not limited to, the severity and/or number of parts to the offence/sanction, your
age at the time of the caution/conviction, the time that has elapsed since the caution/conviction
and whether you have received any other cautions/convictions.
It is important to highlight that there are a number
of offences that will NEVER be
filtered from a DBS certificate regardless of any of the factors referenced
above and that ALL cautions and
convictions relating to listed offences must ALWAYS be disclosed.
Please refer to the following link for more
information relating to the filtering of offences and those that will never be
filtered:
http://www.hpc-uk.org/apply/uk/rehabilitationofoffendersact/
If you are in any doubt at all as to whether an
offence/sanction should be disclosed or not, you are encouraged to disclose
rather than withhold information. You are welcome to contact the Selection
Advisor to discuss this, however, please remember that any information is given
as guidance only and indications as
to suitability do not guarantee an unconditional offer onto the programme.
Disclosure of a relevant offences/sanctions does not
automatically exclude an applicant from the programme. In instances where a
caution/conviction is disclosed, Frontline will seek further information about
the circumstances surrounding the offence and invite the applicant to discuss
this at a suitability panel during which its members will come to an informed
and considered decision as to whether suitability/clearance in relation to this
matter can be confirmed.