How we vet our staff

• Proof of identification (for example passport)
• Proof of address (for example a driving license)
• Work permit, if applicable (to demonstrate the right to work in the UK)
• Either two written references from previous employers or, in certain situations, we may allow character references from select occupations (teacher, clergy, a member of a profession) We always ensure all references are verified.

Once the applicant has put together the above requirements we then carry out a detailed interview and verify the documentation.

As part of the interview we ask applicants to declare if they have ever been convicted of any criminal offences, however, under Data Protection regulations it is no longer possible to ask the Police to carry out checks on individuals. We do however ask applicants if they would have any objection to us running a criminal records check (now called a DBS check) on them. Obviously if they are reluctant to allow this we take it into consideration for their suitability. We then contact the referees and request specific feedback on the applicant, with particular emphasis on their honesty, reliability and work performance. We keep copies of all worker references, copies of which are available on request.

The final stage of recruitment is to perform a criminal records (Disclosure Barring Service) check. Many of our competitors do not actually do this check as it is quite expensive. They rely on references alone to say that their staff are “fully vetted”. After successfully completing our exhaustive checks we then ask one final subjective question: Would we be happy to offer this person work in our own home?

ONLY IF APPLICANTS PASS ALL OUR VETTING CRITERIA DO WE CONSIDER EMPLOYING THEM. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT OUR VETTING PROCEDURES PROVIDE A ROBUST METHOD OF FINDING HONEST, RELIABLE AND CONFIDENT WORKERS