Recruitment and staffing

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Careers in Childcare
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Setting Up A Nursery
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Recruitment and staffing

You will need to ensure that you have enough qualified and experienced staff to meet the needs of the children and the regulations and carry out background checks and obtain references for all your staff members. You will need to provide them with ongoing training and support and conduct regular appraisals and supervision too.

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Check employees’ right to work

Before you hire anyone to work for your business, you need to check that they have the right to work in the UK. You can do this by asking for their original documents, such as their passport or biometric residence permit, and making copies of them. You also need to keep records of these checks and update them regularly.

DBS checks

As your business involves working with children or vulnerable adults, you need to do a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for yourself and your employees. This will show if you have any criminal convictions or cautions that may affect yours and others suitability for the role. You can apply for a DBS check online or through an umbrella body, such as Ofsted or CIW.

Provide employees with a written statement of employment

If you employ someone for more than one month, you need to give them a written statement of employment within two months of their start date. This document should include details such as their job title, pay, hours of work, holiday entitlement, sick pay, pension scheme and notice period. Sometimes this is referred to as a contract.

Childcare staff are responsible for the safety, well-being and development of young children, so they need to have the appropriate qualifications, skills and experience. You will need to ensure that you have and follow a safer recruitment process that ensures the protection of children and vulnerable adults from harm or abuse by staff or volunteers. A safe recruitment process involves the following steps:

Developing a clear and detailed job description and person specification that outlines the skills, qualifications, experience and attributes required for the role.

Making a conditional offer of employment subject to satisfactory checks and references.

Conducting a fair and transparent selection process that assesses the candidates’ suitability for the role and their commitment to safeguarding.

Obtaining and verifying relevant information from the candidates, such as their identity, qualifications, references, criminal records and right to work in the UK.

Advertising the vacancy in a way that attracts suitable candidates and discourages unsuitable ones.

Providing induction, training and supervision for the new staff or volunteer to ensure they understand and follow the organisation’s policies and procedures on safeguarding.

Reviewing and evaluating the recruitment process and the performance of the new staff or volunteer on a regular basis.

Continuous professional development

Continuous professional development (CPD) is essential for childcare staff to improve their skills and knowledge and provide high-quality care and education for children. CPD can take many forms, such as attending courses, workshops, webinars, conferences, online learning, mentoring, peer observation, and reflective practice.

In the UK, there is no statutory requirement for childcare staff to undertake a specific amount of CPD, but it is recommended by various organisations and frameworks, such as the Early years foundation stage statutory framework and Ofsted in England and the National minimum standards for regulated childcare and the CIW in Wales.

England	Wales
3.26 Providers must support staff to undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to ensure they offer quality learning and development experiences for children that continually improves. Early years foundation stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers	13.3 The continuing training needs of staff are addressed and provided for on a regular basis. National minimum standards for regulated childcare
Practitioners’ subject, pedagogical content and knowledge consistently builds and develops over time, and this consistently translates into improvements in the teaching of the curriculum. Outstanding grade descriptor for leadership and management, Ofsted Early years inspection handbook	The performance management process is very thorough and motivates all practitioners to excel by identifying individual training plans. Excellent rating descriptor for Leadership and Management, CIW Childcare, Play and Open Access Inspection and Ratings Provider Guidance

CPD can benefit childcare staff by enhancing their confidence, competence, and career prospects, as well as improving outcomes for children and families. CPD can also help childcare staff to keep up to date with current policies, legislation, research, and best practices in the sector.

You can start the process of identifying training needs during the interview and on-boarding or induction process which should provide a comprehensive orientation and introduction to the setting’s policies, procedures, curriculum and expectations. This is likely to identify gaps in experience, knowledge and understanding, along with an individual’s personal interests and aspirations. This information can then be used to develop and individualised training programme. For new and less experienced staff that may include assigning them a mentor or a supervisor who can guide them through their daily tasks, provide feedback and support, and help them solve any problems or challenges.

The setting should also encourage the childcare staff to pursue continuous professional development by offering them opportunities to attend workshops, seminars, courses and conferences related to childcare. The requirement to undertake training can be written into the job specification, to ensure that expectations are established from the outset.

There is also a requirement for settings undertake regular reviews of performance of the childcare staff, which should recognize their achievements and contributions ad identify areas for development.

It is also important that you are mindful of your responsibilities under The Equality Act 2010. This states that employers must treat all staff fairly and without discrimination. Watch this video about protected characteristics:

PACEY resources

Exclusive member only resources

Focus on… Recruitment – A series of resources designed to support you in your recruitment journey. Including everything from advertising your vacancy, job descriptions and interviewing and offering a job.
PACEY Live webinar: Is it time for an apprentice
PACEY Live webinar: DBS – Making Recruitment Safer
Deployment of staff guide
CPD Planning including downloadable skills matrix template and Stages of competence reference guide
Personal Development Plans including SWOT analysis and SMART goals template and action planning template
ARAG law guides and legal document library to help professional legal matters including conduct and discipline, sickness and absence, redundancy and lots more
ARAG Legal, tax and HR advice line
CEY smart bite-sized courses in Leadership and management, including Effective induction (with downloadable checklist, Effective supervision (with downloadable staff record template) and Effective appraisal (with downloadable staff record form).