Recruitment policy, Ardenvale College
Recruitment policy template with stages, panel rules and child safety checks
A recruitment policy has to make sure the best person is chosen fairly and, where children are involved, that nobody unsuitable gets through any stage. This four page Australian policy for a Victorian school with 160 staff does that with nine stages, seven panel rules, child safety interview questions, five reference rules and a no start before clearance rule for Working with Children and VIT checks.
The document, page by page
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Section by section
What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.
- Cover
- Spine cover with the school, title and purpose line.
- 1 and 2. Scope and principles
- 1,100 students, 160 staff and four principles led by child safety.
- 3. Recruitment stages
- Nine stages from approval to induction, each with an owner.
- 4 and 5. Panel rules and interview questions
- Seven panel rules and four child safety questions.
- 6. Reference checks
- Five rules for verifying referees and work history.
- 7. Working with Children and VIT checks
- The section 113 exemption, 5 year clearances and a no start rule.
- 8 to 10. Records, adjustments and review
- Retention, a termly register review, candidate adjustments and two yearly review.
How to adapt this document
First, if you are outside Victoria, replace clause 7 with your state's screening scheme and the body that registers teachers, since every state runs its own check with its own name and exemptions. Second, for an organisation that does not work with children, keep the stages and panel rules and replace the child safety questions with the risk that matters in your work. Third, size the panel to your organisation; a small business can use two people as long as one is outside the team.
Which law the terms follow
Screening follows the Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic), which requires a Working with Children Clearance for child related work and exempts registered teachers in section 113. The Victorian Child Safe Standards, overseen by the Commission for Children and Young People, require organisations to make sure staff are suitable and supported. Fair selection and adjustments follow the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
What makes this document work
Child safety runs through every stage
The child safety statement is written into the position description and every advertisement, shortlisting and interviews include child safety questions, referees are asked directly about concerns, and induction on the code of conduct happens before the first day with students. Screening is the last check, not the only one.
References that cannot be faked
Clause 6 requires the most recent supervisor as one of two referees, confirms each referee by calling the organisation's main number rather than one the candidate supplied, and checks any gap in work history longer than three months. Those three rules close the usual routes for hiding a past.
The VIT exemption is handled correctly
Registered teachers are exempt from a Working with Children Check under section 113 of the Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic), so the policy verifies VIT registration for teachers and a clearance, valid for 5 years, for everyone else, then reviews the register every term.
Questions people ask
Do teachers in Victoria need a Working with Children Check?
Not if they are registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching. Section 113 of the Worker Screening Act 2020 exempts registered teachers, because registration includes its own suitability checks. A school should still verify registration before the teacher starts, and a teacher whose registration is suspended loses the exemption at once.
How long is a Working with Children Clearance valid in Victoria?
Five years from the date it is given, unless it is revoked or surrendered sooner. The school's register should hold each person's number and expiry date, and follow up anyone whose clearance expires within the next three months, so nobody keeps working with children on a lapsed clearance.
What questions should a child safe interview include?
Questions that test values and judgement, not only experience: what the candidate would do if a student disclosed harm, how they hold professional boundaries, and why they want to work with children. Scenario questions, such as a colleague driving a student home alone, show whether the person would act on a concern.
Should a referee be asked directly about child safety?
Yes. Asking whether the referee has any concern about the candidate working with children is direct, fair and expected in schools. A hesitant or evasive answer is worth following up. Write the question and answer on the reference form, so the panel can show it asked.
How long should unsuccessful applications be kept?
Long enough to answer a complaint about the decision, commonly 12 months, then destroyed securely, as this policy does. The appointed person's recruitment file moves to their personnel file. Keeping unsuccessful applications for years adds privacy risk without adding protection.
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