Recruitment Campaigns for Westmorland and Furness Council

These pages provide information on how to advertise a new vacancy within Westmorland and Furness Council.

Please find FAQs for the recruitment guidance here: FAQs for Recruitment Guidance

System Information

Westmorland and Furness Council use the system iTrent for recruitment purposes (NB care worker roles have a separate process).

If you want to recruit:

  1. You will need to access the Recruitment and DBS Administration Portal
  2. NB Legacy District Managers - if you are using this link for the first time or are having difficulties accessing try clicking the link twice at first, if this does not work contact your legacy HR representative for support.  Only recruitment related queries/tasks should be submitted.
  3. Please see the attached guidance document which walks you through how to use the portal: Guidance Document.

Post Specifications and related job evaluation information:

  1. Available on Job Families - Home (sharepoint.com). 
  2. If for any reason you are not able please contact the HR Advisory Team via the portal LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com)

If you require advice or additional support:

  1. Contactthe HR Advisory Team via the portal LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com)

The following teams can support you to recruit.

Recruitment and DBS Administration Team - This team processes recruitment tickets made on the Recruitment and DBS Administration Portal.  They are responsible for the following recruitment related activities:

  1. Advertising your vacancy on the Westmorland and Furness website
  2. Sending applications following the closing date
  3. Undertaking pre-employment checks
  4. Sending out offer letters and contracts
  5. Setting up the successful candidate on our HR/Payroll system iTrent.

They can be contacted via the Recruitment and DBS Administration Portal or by contacting 01228 223333

 

Workforce and Resourcing Team - This team can provide specialist and technical support to recruiting managers on recruitment and selection activity.  This can include:

  1. Advert wording support
  2. Social media advertising
  3. Dedicated campaigns for hard to fill roles.

They can be contacted via the HR Advisory Portal which is available here LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com) or by contacting 0300 3732755.

 

Pay and Reward Team - This team provide specialist support on the grading of new or changed roles.  This can include:

  1. Storing and coordinating the central post specification files
  2. Advising on changes to post specifications and the impact on grading
  3. Moderating the job evaluation allocation process

They can be contacted via the HR Advisory Portal which is available here LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com) or by contacting 0300 3732755.

 

HR Advisory Team (including legacy district HR contacts) - This team can:

  1. Provide advice on recruitment situations e.g. advise on reasonable adjustments or applicant queries
  2. Assist line managers with the job evaluation allocation process   
  3. Provide general advice and support on the recruitment process
  4. Assist with recruitment portal support for legacy district managers who may have access issues

They can be contacted via the HR Advisory Portal which is available here LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com) or by contacting 0300 3732755.

Recruiting Managers should:

  1. Obtain a copy of the most up to date post specification for the role to be recruited to.  
    1. If the role has previously been graded by the current Westmorland and Furness job evaluation scheme you can find a copy in the centralised post specification library.  This is available here Job Families - Home (sharepoint.com)
    2. If the role has not been previously graded by the current Westmorland and Furness job evaluation scheme you will need to arrange for the role to be graded.  Further information is available here Job Families - Home (sharepoint.com)
  2. Review the post specification to ensure that the information is still fit for purpose and graded correctly.  
    1. Changes may mean that the role needs to be re-graded.  Further information is available here Job Families - Home (sharepoint.com)
    2. Only very minor changes should be made without the need for consultation and/or job evaluation e.g. cosmetic changes, changing of reference to legacy councils etc.  
    3. If you are unsure that the changes you are making are minor and therefore may impact the grading of the role, please contact the Pay and Reward Team via the HR Advisory Portal LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com)
    4. All changes should be done using track changes.
  3. Ensure the post specification is on the Westmorland and Furness template.  This is available here: Westmorland and Furness Template
  4. Send the final version of the post specification to the HR Advisory Portal for upload which is available here LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com).


You can find the Pay and Grading Structure here if you need this.

Legacy District Managers

Legacy District managers should now have access to the SharePoint site referred to (Job Families SharePoint). However, if you do not you can request this via the site or alternatively, should contact the HR Advisory team for support.  


Recruiting Managers should obtain permission to recruit by:

  1. Completing the authorisation form available here: Westmorland and Furness Council: Vacancy Authorisation form (DOC 54KB)
  2. Get the vacancy approved by:
    1. Sending to your Extended Leadership Team (ELT) officer, (Director and Assistant Director) or; if the vacancy reports directly into senior managers, or above you should send to the Chief Executive.  Please find the structure chart here.
    2. For Vacancies in Adult Social Care, authorisation is required as follows: Where vacancies are within the current establishment, authority to recruit has been delegated to Senior Managers in Adults Operations and Services managers in Care Services. Where vacancies are outside of current establishment/budget, authorisation would need to go through the corporate process, with sign coming from an ELT member or Chief Executive as appropriate

Authorisation to recruit is valid for 4 months.

Authorisation should only be sought if the role has been reviewed and correctly graded - see step 1.  

Recruiting Managers should:

  1. Produce an advert to advertise your vacancy.  A proforma to assist is available here which you can choose to use. This should include an indicative closing date and the date you wish to interview.  Alternatively, you can put TBC and the Recruitment and DBS team will select an application closing date, which will be two weeks after the advert is published with interviews taking place W/C two weeks after the closing date. If you are selecting your own closing and interview dates, please ensure you give yourself time to shortlist and then 5 working days clear notice to any candidates.  Our Workforce and Resourcing team can support recruiting managers with the wording of job adverts, where needed. If this is something you require, please contact the HR Advisory Portal which is available here LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com) who will be able to advise you.  
  2. If you are recruiting to a vacancy that is hard to fill, and you require additional advertising support, you can discuss this with our Workforce and Resourcing Team.  They can be contacted via the HR Advisory Portal which is available here LGR Login - People Management Portal (service-now.com)   
  3. Arrange for any supporting documentation to be produced i.e. any key information needed for the applicant that is vacancy specific.  
  4. Submit a ticket on the Recruitment and DBS Administration Portal requesting to advertise the vacancy.  You will need to include the advert wording, approved authority to recruit and any supporting documentation. You will be emailed with a response which will include the portal ticket reference. This reference can be used to access the vacancy portal ticket at any time. All documentation must be submitted when creating the ticket. Failure to do so can impact on recruitment timescales.  

The Recruitment and DBS Administration Team will get the approved post specification from the SharePoint site and arrange for your vacancy to be advertised on the Westmorland and Furness website.   

 The Recruiting Manager should:

  1. Shortlist the applications and arrange a selection panel.
  2. On receipt of the shortlisting pack from the Recruitment and DBS Administration Team via email, shortlist all applicants using the application forms.  An updated Shortlisting Form which can be used for all candidates is available here.
  3. After shortlisting, submit the completed shortlisting form to the Recruitment and DBS Administration Portal using the previously received ticket reference.  The team will contact the unsuccessful candidates.

Recruiting Managers should:

  1. Decide to hold the interviews in person or via Teams.
  2. Timetable the interviews including dates, times and location (including booking rooms).  
  3. Email the invite to interview letters and, if applicable, Teams meeting invitations with guidance to on-line interviews to the applicants using the templates below.  It is recommended these are sent via email for speed, and ideally the candidate is given at least 5 day's notice.  In addition to interview details, you will also need to include any special instructions such as presentation details or testing information.  
    1. Invitation to on-line Interview
    2. Guidance to on-line Interview
    3. Invitation to in-person interview

Recruiting Managers should:

  1. Decide on the interview questions and include these in a proforma which also includes a suggested scoring matrix.  An example of which can be found here.
  2. Conduct the interviews, ensuring that:
    1. All candidates are asked the same questions.
    2. Notes are taken throughout the interview.  
    3. If the interviews are face to face, copies of essential qualifications should be taken - you may wish to arrange administrative support from your team to take the photocopies.  
    4. Scoring of each question is undertaken.  
  3. Decide on which candidate(s) to appoint.  


Recruiting Managers should:

  1. Verbally offer the preferred candidate(s) the position and outline it is subject to pre-employment clearances. Whilst making the offer, the manager must determine the type of Right to Work in the UK documentation the candidate holds and advise the Recruitment Administration Team via your recruitment ticket. The recruitment administration team will then advise the manager if there are any additional steps to undertake this check. An official start datemust not be arranged until the Recruitment and DBS Administration Team have notified you that all pre-employment checks are complete. 
  2. If the applicant verbally accepts, the recruiting manager must complete the appropriate appointment form (for external candidates) or transfer form (for internal candidates) linked below and attach it to the existing ticket using the Recruitment and DBS Administration Portal.
    1. Appointment Form
    2. Transfer Form
  3. Submit the interview information, including copies of essential qualification documentation taken from the candidate at interview to the existing ticket. Please do not obtain or retain copies of DBS certificates. Any copies sent from candidates to recruiting managers should be immediately deleted. If the interview was a virtual interview, you will need to arrange to meet with the successful candidate to see a physical copy of  their essential qualifications. You will need to make a physical photocopy of the documentation and sign and date this to say you have seen the original copy. You will then need to scan and upload this to your ticket.
  4. Call the unsuccessful candidates to let them know the outcome.  Candidates may ask for feedback on their interview performance at this time and panel members should provide this and thank the candidate for their interest. 


The Recruitment and DBS Administration Team will then send out a conditional offer to the successful candidate and arrange for pre employment checks (including references) to be completed. Westmorland and Furness Council are now utilising HR Connect to process all DBS checks and Right to Work in the UK checks, including (where possible) digital ID checks.


DBS

Please do not obtain or retain copies of DBS certificates. Any copies sent from candidates to recruiting managers should be immediately deleted.

We have produced a new flowchart and process document following the procurement of a new online system. These documents will talk you through the end-to-end process of a DBS check, including steps for manual ID checks if a digital ID check is not possible. Please see below for these:

Recruiting managers must:

  1. Ensure that the appointment / transfer form indicates the required level of DBS check, in line with the summary allocation list which can be found here: Summary Allocation List.xlsx (sharepoint.com)
  2. Ensure they check the recruitment ticket regularly as the recruitment administration team will provide any updates in relation to DBS, should there be any actions for the manager.
  3. Once confirmation that the DBS check has been completed, they must meet with the candidate in-person to verify the certificate. The verification form can be found here: DBS Verification Form


Right to Work in the UK Checks

All external candidates will be required to provide evidence of their Right to Work in the UK. As with DBS checks, we are now utilising a third party provider, HR Connect, to carry out Right to Work in the UK checks - including digital ID checks. Recruiting managers must ask the candidate during the verbal offer the type of Right to Work in the UK documentation they hold and will need to update the recruitment ticket with this information. The type of documentation will determine which process we follow. Please see below for details. 


A British or Irish citizen with a Passport - Digital ID check.

A British or Irish citizen without a Passport - Manual ID check

Not a British or Irish citizen - Online Share Code or Immigration Documents

For updated guidance on conducting Right to Work in the UK checks, please see the guidance here.


References

We will request a minimum of two references from all candidates, one of which needs to be their current / most recent employer. We request that the references provided cover the last three years. Where it's not possible to obtain a secondary employment reference, a character reference or education reference will need to be provided.


Types of Medical Assessments:

All candidates will require a pre-employment medical check, the details of this check will be sent out with the candidate's offer letter. If an extended medical is needed, managers need to complete a risk assessment on the Occupational Health Portal. Guidance for this can be found here: Manager Portal Guidance

Type of Pre-Employment Medical AssessmentUsed for...
Pre-Employment - General QuestionnaireFor office workers, support and care work, social work and/or will be required to drive passengers in a vehicle larger than a car etc and those posts not covered below.
Extended Pre-Employment QuestionnaireFor those who will be working in a manual role/safety critical role and may require health surveillance due to the risks encountered in that role i.e., noise, dust, chemicals, vibrating tools, e.g. highways, fleet, ferry, port, street operatives, parks and gardens, HGV/LGV drivers. The recruiting manager will also need to complete a risk assessment on the Occupational Health Portal for Extended Pre-Employment Questionnaire.


Depending on the role and any additional requirements, further pre-employment checks such as the below may also need to be obtained:

  • Proof of relevant qualifications
  • Overseas criminal record check (for DBS roles)
  • Conduct log
  • Proof of relevant memberships, registrations and licenses
  • Teacher services checks (for teaching roles only)


When the Recruitment and DBS Administration Team update the ticket to confirm that all pre-employment checks are satisfactorily completed, the recruiting manager must review all documentation attached to the ticket before they can arrange a start date. Once you are happy with all of the pre-employment checks, you can arrange a start date with the candidate. The recruitment ticket should then be updated to confirm the agreed start date so that the recruitment administration team can provide managers with the candidate's payroll number and contract of employment can be sent to the successful candidate(s).


Recruiting Managers should:

1. Arrange for induction (see guidance below) and IT access (if required) via the IT Helpdesk.

2. Arrange for probation process (external candidates only - please see this here) 

3. Further information is available here Manager Information (sharepoint.com)


Staff induction - new employees (PDF 6MB)

Staff induction - line managers (PDF 3MB)