Cases of violence or sexual abuse are regularly featured in newspapers, from within schools to nursing and residential homes. Pre-employment screening in the Care Industry needs to be more rigorous than it already is, in our opinion.
A position of trust
Many sexual predators take advantage of our country’s vulnerable people in the most credible of professions. These include school teachers, scout leaders, carers and other trusted positions within our communities. When applying for these jobs, candidates must undergo an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. This process is a brilliant way to detect the people who have abused their position before and have a criminal record for it. But what about those who haven’t been caught?
Interview process and pre-employment screening in the Care Industry
An interview can be one of the most stressful experiences we have to go through in our lives. Some of us are lucky enough to get a job and keep it for all of our working careers. Others may need to go through many job interviews just to find a job for a few months. The process is nerve racking for most. How, when this process is so rigorous and intrusive do predators get through and end up working with, and sometimes abusing, vulnerable people?
Considering the presentation you have to give and all the answers you need to remember at interview stage, hoping they’re the ones your potential employer is looking for, would SCAN (Scientific Content Analysis) make the process simpler and easier? Job interviews for people who wish to work in a caring or teaching profession are much tougher than the ones most of us are used to.
Scientific Content Analysis
SCAN (Scientific Content Analysis) introduced before the interview stage is effective and efficient. Candidates can complete a questionnaire in writing (handwriting). The employer then sends this to an examiner for analysis either by ordinary post, fax or email. Most job seekers want to share as much information as possible with a prospective employer. This includes criminals because they want to secure the position.
By analysing what they have written you can cut significant corners in short listing the final candidates. SCAN is the best pre-employment screening tool to verify the truth of what they attest. It’s the best way to make a candidate feel more comfortable. The types of questions are designed to ensure that people, potentially caring for patients or children, have their best interests at heart. With the analysis at their fingertips employers will already know the true intentions of the candidate.
Damage to reputation and brand
The regret and shame organisations feel, that have inadvertently employed sexual predators is immense. When the abuse of those in their care, often of the most degrading type, becomes public reputations are damaged irreparably. No school, nursing, residential or children’s home wants this to happen, yet their pre-employment screening process is often to blame. Compensation claims and damage to brand often results in closure, despite having an impeccable reputation prior to such incidents.
Polygraph tests, also known as lie detectors, are regularly utilised for risk assessments of paedophiles and other sex offenders who are released on probation. When let out of prison they are subject to specific conditions. Periodic testing takes place to ensure they are keeping to them. Those found to be in breach of the conditions will be returned to serve out the remainder of their sentences in prison. The same principle of these tests could form part of ongoing screening in the Care Industry, with periodic testing implemented randomly for the duration of employment. Making such tests part of employees’ contracts of employment ensures that you have their agreement.
Prevention is far better than cure
SCAN used as a tool for pre-employment screening in the Care Industry, reduces the risk of harmful incidents occurring. Can your organisation afford not to include it in your pre-employment screening process? Can you risk not utilising everything at your disposal?
