Safer recruitment tips and DBS

Safer recruitment tips

When looking to recruit one or several new personal assistants (PAs) follow these tips to keep yourself safe.

When writing a job advert think about what information you are sharing. It is important to be clear about what you need but avoid sharing information that is personal or could be used to identify you.
Give your most local town or first three digits of your postcode rather than your full address.
If you are using Shropshire PA noticeboard to recruit your PA, your name is only visible to registered PAs on the site. The PA will contact you via the site and this will come via your email. Consider setting up an email address separately to your personal one.
After a few emails to a prospective PA, it is a good idea to have one or several initial conversations over the phone or virtually before a face-to-face interview or introduction.
It is easy to slip into a friendly relationship with a prospective PA, so before you start talking to a prospective PA decide what information you need and want to share and when, so you are prepared.
Think about holding interviews in a neutral space such as a café or library. They can also be held virtually.
If you interview at home think about having a trusted person with you. Also think about having a trusted person there the first time your new PA supports you.
We recommend requesting to see two references, including their most recent employer. We also recommend seeing or carrying out a DBS (police check) see below for more information on this.

Skills for Care offer more information and guidance about PA recruitment, including advertising, interviewing, shortlisting, and offering a job.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer PA recruitment decisions, Shropshire Council recommends them.