Employing People With Criminal Convictions

Employing People with Criminal Convictions Policy Statement

Wigan and Leigh Housing Company aims to promote equality of opportunity for all applicants who have the right mix of talent, skills, and potential to make a contribution to our organisation.

As part of this commitment, Wigan and Leigh Housing welcomes applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds, and we will consider applications for employment and promotion opportunities from candidates who have a criminal conviction.

A candidate’s criminal record will only be taken in to account, for recruitment purposes, where the conviction is relevant to the post.

Candidates will only be asked to disclose convictions, which are spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, where because of the nature of the work, a particular post has been identified as subject to disclosure procedures. Information issued to candidates, for these posts, will clearly state the level of disclosure required.

All applicants will be assessed in relation to the selection criteria identified on the Person Specification for the post. Having an unspent conviction will not necessarily bar an individual from employment. This will depend on the circumstances and background to the offence(s) and its relevance to the post.

Candidates who declare a criminal conviction on their application form will be given an opportunity, if selected for interview, to discuss the matter with the Company’s Human Resource Manager.

All posts requiring a Disclosure Check will be offered to the successful candidate, subject to receipt of a Disclosure, which is satisfactory to the Company. Any matters revealed in Disclosure information will be discussed with the candidate, before a final decision is reached. However the Company reserves the right to make a decision whether to withdraw the offer of employment, based on the information available.

Candidates will be advised to use the Criminal Records Bureau Appeals procedure if they believe the information in a Disclosure is incorrect.

All information obtained through the Disclosure Scheme will be treated confidentially and will only be revealed to approved officers of the Company.

All managers will be expected to apply this policy fairly and consistently and to operate in accordance with the Company’s Equality and Diversity and Recruitment and Selection Policies. Managers are expected to attend appropriate training on recruitment and selection and to follow company guidelines and checklists.

The Criminal Records Bureau have a Code of Practice to ensure that information is used fairly. A copy of the Code of Practice is available on request.