Important Recruitment Policies

Below you will find some important information, policies and statements.

Equal Opportunities Statement

Oxfordshire Mind is committed to the principle of equal opportunities in recruitment and placement of volunteers and declares its opposition to any form of less favourable treatment, whether through direct or indirect discrimination accorded to volunteers or volunteer applicants, on the grounds of their age, race, social background, religious beliefs, creed, colour, disability, ethnic origin, nationality, marital/parental status, sex or sexual orientation, gender reassignment, offending record, political affiliation, trade union membership and HIV status.

Policy Statement for the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working for us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of your offences.

As an organisation using the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure service to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, Oxfordshire Mind complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly.  It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed.

Oxfordshire Mind is committed to the fair treatment of staff, potential staff, volunteers, potential volunteers or users of its services, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.

We actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skill and potential and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records.  We select all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.

All positions at Oxfordshire Mind will require a Disclosure.  Application forms, job adverts and recruitment briefs will contain a statement that a Disclosure will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position.

Where a Disclosure is to form part of the recruitment process, we encourage all applicants called for interview to provide details of their criminal record at an early stage in the application process.  We request that this information is provided to a member of the Volunteering and Peer Support Team and we guarantee that this information will only be seen by those who need to see it as part of the recruitment process.

Unless the nature of the position allows Oxfordshire Mind to ask questions about your entire criminal record, we only ask about ‘unspent’ convictions as defined in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

At interview, or in a separate discussion, we ensure that an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position.  Failure to reveal information that is directly relevant to the position sought could lead to withdrawal of an offer of volunteering placement.

We make every subject of a DBS Disclosure aware of the existence of the DBS Code of Practice and make a copy available on request.

We undertake to discuss any matter revealed in a Disclosure with the person seeking the position before withdrawing a conditional offer of volunteering placement.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from volunteering with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of your offences.