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Recruitment, Selection and Appointment of Staff other than Teachers and School Administrators

procedure

These procedures must be read in conjunction with the Recruitment Selection and Appointment Policy.

2. Scope

These procedures apply to principals and line managers.

3. Procedures

3.1 Identify and register a vacancy

Principals and line managers must:

  • identify a vacancy and whether it is fixed-term or permanent (if the vacancy is fixed term), identify its tenure;
  • only make fixed-term appointments where they comply with the relevant industrial instruments; and
  • prior to any action being taken (including extending current appointments), register vacancies using the Recruitment Advertising and Management System (RAMS) (staff only). 

3.2 Clear a vacancy

Principals and line managers must:

  • consider and assess internal employees requiring placement and select and appoint the most suitable; and
  • where an employee requiring placement is appointed, complete RAMS actions and an electronic movement request in the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) (staff only).

Where no appointment is made with an employee requiring placement or from a transfer pool, principals and line managers must:

  • assess external registered and registrable employees referred by other agencies; and
  • place the employee, if suitable.

Guidance

For permanent vacancies and where no employee requiring placement is suitable, principals and line managers may assess applicants in a relevant transfer pool, where one exists.

Staff Recruitment and Employment Services provides support in filling vacancies.

See Ikon (staff only) for information including Understand the five step staffing process (staff only), Use the five step staffing process (staff only) and Conduct a staff selection process (staff only).


User Guides in the RAMS file library (staff only) are available for assistance with lodging a vacancy and for assessing employees requiring placement, transfer applicants, external registered and registrable employees.

Employees requiring placement may apply for advertised vacancies.

3.3 Use of consultants

Principals and line managers must:

  • use the Department of Finance ‘Common Use Agreement’ Human Resource (HR) and Investigation Services;
  • be responsible for any costs when engaging external human resource consultants to assist with a process;
  • not engage consultants to chair selection panels; and
  • retain responsibility and authority for recruitment processes and employment decisions.

3.4 Use of labour hire

Principals and line managers must:

3.5 Recruitment and Selection

Where no suitable employee requiring placement, transfer applicant or registered employee is available, principals and line managers must recruit according to the Department’s process located on Ikon (staff only).

Principals and line managers must:

  • comply with the Government Advertising and Communications Policy;
  • place vacancy on the State Government’s Jobs Board, Jobs WA as a minimum, or the Department’s Internal Jobs Board for Expressions of Interest;
  • incur the cost of any additional advertising;
  • conduct an assessment of merit (individual or competitive) to fill any cleared vacancy; 
  • inform all persons involved in the selection process that confidentiality must be maintained;
  • inform all persons involved in the selection process to disclose and manage conflicts of interest if required;
  • use the selection criteria outlined in the relevant Job Description Form (JDF);
  • use RAMS (staff only),  including generating a selection report and accessing template letters available for communicating promptly with applicants at all stages of the process;
  • where a selection panel is used, confirm each panel member manually or electronically endorses the selection report;
  • issue letters to all applicants advising them of the selection process outcome;
  • for a notifiable employment decision, include in the letter:
    • a breach period of a minimum of four full working days (to midnight);
    • information about the Breach of Standard claim process; and
  • provide feedback, where sought, within the breach period that relates to the selection criteria and be in sufficient detail to explain the basis for the selection decision, demonstrating that the process is fair and transparent.

Guidance

JDFs templates and guidelines can be located on Ikon (staff only).

When advertising a vacancy, principals and line managers may request skills and experiences that relate to school or workplace needs and context.

Whilst merit remains the primary factor in the selection process, people from specific diversity groups may be encouraged to apply to increase the diversity of the school, education region or Department’s workforce profile.

When advertising for a pool, principal and line managers should specify this intent, including duration of the pool (see Appendix A – Appointment Pools).

The selection panel should comprise of a minimum of two, preferably three members with:

  • a gender balance;
  • at least one independent panel member;
  • at least one member familiar with the vacant position, its duties, its environment and the skills, knowledge and experience needed to do the job, including expert or technical aspects; and
  • at least one member trained in recruitment and selection.

Where possible, panels should include people from equal opportunity groups for positions where cultural or disability awareness is required.

The essence of the role of an independent panel member is to bring an impartial perspective to the process and reduce the perception of bias or nepotism.

Referee checks usually constitute part of the information used in deliberating selection decisions.  It should be noted that:

  • referees not listed by the applicant may be contacted to further assess an applicant’s suitability.  The applicant should be informed of this intent before contact is made with the referee.  An applicant should be given the opportunity to respond to adverse reports from referees not nominated by them;
  • applicants may request extracts of the selection report that pertain to them, including referee comments; and
  • period of ten working days is recommended for cleaner and gardener vacancies.

A working day is a complete 24 hour period to midnight excluding Saturday, Sunday or public service holiday throughout the State.  For the purposes of notification, the breach period closing date does not include a portion of a day such as a specific closing time.  Refer to the Interpretation Act 1984 Section 61.

Conduct a staff selection process (staff only) resource is available on Ikon.

Professional learning courses can be located on the Professional Learning Information System (staff only) web page.

A Conflict of interest resource for panels is available on the Integrity Coordinating Group’s website.

3.6 Late applications

Where a closing date is specified, principals and line managers must not admit for assessment late applications unless it can be shown that the late applications were mishandled by the Department or by an official postal or telecommunication service.

3.7 Canteen staff

Principals must appoint school canteen staff in accordance with the relevant industrial instrument (staff only)

Guidance

A Business Case (staff only) is required to create canteen position/s and directly employ canteen staff.  Business cases are submitted by email to HRWorkforce@education.wa.edu.au

3.8 Appointment

Prior to appointment, or at the conclusion of the breach period (where one is required), principals and line managers must:

  • confirm the recommended applicant meets employment eligibility requirements, including:
  • verify Suitable to Rehire (staff only) on HRMIS;
  • complete the Offer of Employment via RAMS, including probation requirements (where appropriate) and forward to the successful applicant; and
  • upon receipt of the signed Offer of Employment from the applicant, complete electronic commencement or movement advice forms in HRMIS prior to commencement.

Guidance

See Manage staff probation (staff only) on Ikon for further information.

Information on the Screening Status Check (staff only) to confirm the currency of a Screening Clearance Number is available on Ikon.

The validity of a Working with Children card can be checked at the Department of Communities, Child Protection and Family Support Working with Children Check website

3.9 Record keeping

Principals and line managers must:

  • keep records of the recruitment, selection and appointment process;
  • retain copies of selection reports and letters sent to applicants; and 
  • apply secure storage and restricted physical access to confidential records, in accordance with the Records Management Policy.

Guidance

Records of the process may be attached to RAMS (staff only).

For information on the retention and disposal of recruitment records see the General Disposal Authority for State Government Information.

3.10 Breach of standard claim

Principals and line managers must, for a notifiable employment decision, refer any breach claims received to WorkforcePolicy.breachclaim@education.wa.edu.au.

Guidance

Refer to the Managing Breach of Public Sector Standard Claims policy for further information on breach requirements.

4. Definitions

An employee registered under arrangements prescribed under subsection 94 (1) of the Public Sector Management Act 1994.

In accordance with s.94(1A) of the Public Sector Management Act 1994, registrable employee means:

  • an employee who is surplus to the requirements of a department or organisation; or
  • an employee whose office, post or position has been abolished; or
  • an employee in a category prescribed by the regulations.

6. Contact information

Policy manager:

Director, Workforce Policy and Coordination

Policy contact officer:

Manager, Recruitment, Staff Recruitment and Employment Services

T: (08) 9264 5206

7. History of changes

Effective date Last update date Procedure version no.
30 September 2014 1.0
These new procedures support the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Policy that replaces the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment of Teaching Staff; Recruitment, Selection and Appointment of School Administrators; and Recruitment, Selection and Appointment for Public Service Officers, Other Officers and Wages Staff policies. Endorsed by Director General on 21 August 2014.
30 September 2014 28 March 2017 1.1
Update to staffing processes and nomenclature to reflect Public Sector Management (Redeployment and Redundancy) Regulations 2014 endorsed by Director General at Corporate Executive on 28 November 2016
30 September 2014 31 July 2018 1.2
Update legislation links D18/0207680.
12 February 2019 2.0
These procedures support the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Policy and has undergone a major review. Endorsed by Director General at Corporate Executive on 28 November 2018.
12 February 2021 24 February 2021 2.1
Minor changes and broken links. D21/0099208

9. More information

This procedure:

Download procedure PDFRecruitment, Selection and Appointment of Staff other than Teachers and School Administrators v2.1

Please ensure you also download the policy supported by this procedure.


Supported policy:

Download Policy PDFRecruitment Selection and Appointment Policy


Procedure review date

12 February 2022

Procedure last updated

24 February 2021