Section 2 - Recruitment, selection and appointment

Core Value 2: The individual or family is helped to determine whether this ministry opportunity is right for them, seeking God’s will in every situation

2.1 Enquiries:

• Advertising accurately and providing clear information about the opportunities available and the qualities sought
• Clearly describing the ethos and values of the sending organisation
• Using simple processes to allow the enquirer to state their interest, motivation, family responsibilities and suitability for the task, either by using a short form or on-line
• Acknowledging every contact promptly
• Making and maintaining contact between the sending organisation, the supporting church and the enquirer at an nearly stage
• Seeing selection as a partnership by encouraging the candidate to ask questions and assess whether the possible placement is right for them, as well as the sending organisation assessing the enquirer

2.2 Application:

• Complying with employment law in all aspects of the application and selection process [i]
• Outlining the application process clearly and in detail
• Obtaining all relevant information (usually though an application form) covering personal, family, professional and spiritual history, ensuring adherence to employment and equal opportunities laws
• Maintaining confidentiality and restricting access to personal information to a need- to-know basis
• Giving, on receipt of application, a clear indication of the likely length of the process.
• Obtaining references from a range of sources, including supporting church(es), college where relevant, and secular sources
• Covering a whole range of family issues such as ages of the children, special educational needs and the long-term aspirations of the family

2.3 Interview and selection:

• Choosing the interviewers carefully, ensuring they are aware of the legal implications of their questions and that interview(s) are conducted on the basis of the candidate’s application
• Inviting a representative from supporting church to be present at interview.
• Interviewing couples separately as well as together, where appropriate.
• Ensuring the needs and opinions of the whole family are considered, and not just those of the parents or one spouse
• Considering the team the candidate would join
• Ensuring that the candidate has or can obtain the necessary level of professional training for the role
• Ensuring that the candidate is personally equipped for the role
• Ensuring that the candidate has a working knowledge of the Bible and tries to apply spiritual principles to work and life in their personal walk with God
• Identifying areas requiring further training (professional, personal, family, spiritual/ theological)
• Ensuring that child protection policies are followed including CRB checks as appropriate [ii]
• Informing candidates of the decision as soon as possible

2.4 Medical & Psychological Assessments

• Conducting medical and psychological assessments (if appropriate) to ensure that the candidate and family are fit for life overseas. Assessors should be qualified professionals who understand the stresses of living overseas,[iii] have passed a CRB check and are informed about the location and type of placement (if known)
• Reassessing people who have a track record of effective work overseas [iv]

2.5 Unsuccessful candidates or conditional acceptance:

• Taking particular care when giving negative feedback, especially when only one member of a couple or the family is considered unsuitable.
• Offering help and advice about other options to candidates who are not accepted
• Setting out clearly conditions and time-frames when acceptance is conditional

2.6 Appointment:

• Drawing up a clear contract, agreement or job description specifying length of service, and any probation period. This is agreed and signed by the sending organisation, personnel and wherever appropriate supporting church
• Making arrangements for specific training needs
• Setting a realistic time-scale for deployment
• Establishing clear lines of communication between personnel, the sending organisation, supporting church and any other involved party
• Discussing issues of partnership between the sending organisation and supporting church so that they gain an understanding of each other’s vision, aims, and track record in mission
• Identifying areas of preparation for the whole family

[i] Global Connections has an international HR forum, where such legal issues are discussed. Visit www.globalconnections.co.uk/internationalHR

[ii] For information on CRB checks www.globalconnections.co.uk/crb

[iii]For suggestions of how to locate a suitable assessor, see Appendix 1.

[iv] More information about psychological assessments is provided in Supporting staff responding to disasters: Recruitment, briefing and on-going careby D Lovell-Hawker (see www.peopleinaid.org).