How RecruitSafe Works

A complete, step-by-step guide to the safer recruitment process — from advertising through to your inspection-ready Single Central Record.

Step 1: Create a Job Post

Every recruitment process begins with a compliant job advertisement. Create a job post with the position title, details, and key documents:

  • Upload or link to the job advert, which must include the school's safeguarding commitment
  • Attach the person specification outlining essential qualifications and experience
  • Confirm advert compliance — a checkbox that records whether the advert meets statutory safer recruitment requirements
  • Track the post status through Open, Closed, and Filled stages

Step 2: Shortlisting

Once applications arrive, the shortlisting stage ensures a fair, auditable selection process with safer recruitment oversight:

  • Add candidates and link them to the relevant job post
  • Confirm an application form has been received — CVs alone are not accepted in line with statutory guidance
  • Record any employment gap notes from the application, which are carried through to the interview stage for discussion
  • Assign a shortlisting lead who holds safer recruitment training — their SRT status is displayed alongside their name

Step 3: Interview

The interview stage brings together panel management, scheduling, and the statutory requirement for a safer recruitment trained interviewer:

  • Assign an interview chair from your staff members — their safer recruitment training status is shown clearly
  • Schedule interviews directly via Google Calendar integration, creating calendar events with candidate details
  • Employment gap notes from the application are surfaced for discussion during the interview
  • Record the interview decision (appoint, hold, or reject) with detailed comments and notes
  • Flag candidates requiring a pre-employment risk assessment — record the justification and upload the completed assessment during checks

Step 4: Pre-Employment Checks

The most comprehensive stage — all statutory pre-appointment checks are managed individually with evidence uploads, status tracking, and verification. RecruitSafe covers:

  • DBS Check — Record the DBS check type, certificate number, issue date, and completion status
  • Barred List Check — Linked to the DBS check, automatically tracked
  • References — Unlimited dynamic references per candidate with a minimum of 2 required
  • Online Search — Record the online/social media due diligence check
  • Right to Work — Three conditional workflows based on nationality/status
  • Qualifications — Verify relevant qualifications with evidence uploads
  • Prohibition Order Check — Record date, outcome, and evidence from the Teaching Regulation Agency
  • Section 128 Direction — For management positions, with GOV.UK checking service link
  • Overseas Checks — Mark as required/not required with date, notes, and evidence
  • Pre-Employment Risk Assessment — Conditional section visible only when flagged at interview; upload completed assessment documents

Step 5: Case Assistant

Throughout the pre-employment checks, a digital Case Assistant actively guides you:

  • Shows overall progress — how many checks are complete out of the total required
  • Highlights the next recommended action with compliance-aligned guidance
  • Lists all remaining outstanding checks so nothing is missed
  • Updates in real time as checks are completed

Step 6: Compliance Checklist

A 13-item compliance checklist is maintained for every candidate. Unlike a manual tick-box exercise, this checklist is entirely system-driven:

  • Checkboxes are read-only — they auto-check based on the actual data entered across all pre-employment checks
  • Job advert compliance auto-checks from the linked job post's compliance flag
  • Safer recruitment training auto-checks from the assigned staff members' SRT status
  • Evidence badges show inline which items have supporting documents uploaded

Step 7: Hiring Decision

When all checks are satisfactorily completed, the candidate can be formally hired:

  • Mark the candidate as hired with an effective from date
  • Set their start date — until this date passes, they appear as a pre-appointee on the SCR
  • The candidate's record automatically moves to the Single Central Record

Step 8: Single Central Record

The Single Central Record is always up to date and inspection-ready. Already have an existing SCR? Import it via CSV and go live in minutes:

  • CSV import — upload your existing SCR using a downloadable template covering all 32 data fields, with row-by-row validation and a preview before importing
  • Visual status indicators (green ticks, red crosses) across all check categories for every staff member
  • Click any check icon to drill down into the detail — see what was checked, when, and by whom
  • Active and Archived tabs — archive staff when they leave with an end date
  • Pre-appointee tracking with a toggle to show or hide those awaiting their start date
  • One-click CSV export of the entire record
  • Inspection Mode — a full-screen, locked-down view designed for external inspectors

Step 9: Ongoing Management

Beyond the recruitment pipeline, RecruitSafe provides tools for ongoing compliance management:

  • Staff member management — add named staff members with job titles for use as interviewers and check performers
  • Safer Recruitment Training tracking with certificate uploads and expiry date warnings
  • Full audit trail — every action across the platform is logged
  • Subject Access Request (SAR) export
  • Retention settings — configure organisation-specific retention timeframes
  • Multi-organisation support with dedicated user management and data isolation