We carry out several audits a year into the recruitment and selection activities of licence holders. Audits are carried out to ensure recruitment policies and processes support best practice, in line with the Code of Practice.

Audits play an important role in:

  • Ensuring the terms and conditions of a licence are upheld
  • Identifying breaches of the Code
  • Raising standards of best practice
  • Identifying areas where improvements can be made
  • Sharing learning across the public service

We may audit one or more specific licence holders, or on a thematic basis, across a number of public bodies. We publish our findings in an audit report, which is available to the public.

What to expect when being audited

If we decide to audit your organisation, we will tell you in advance. This will give you time to prepare, so the audit will cause minimum disruption.

During the audit, we will check for compliance with the principles and standards in the Code of Practice and the terms and conditions of your recruitment licence.

The audit may be a desk-based study of policies, procedures and documents, or we may visit you onsite to examine your recruitment files. We will ask to meet staff involved in recruitment and selection.

An audit will focus on elements of a recruitment processs, including:

  • The planning of the selection process
  • Job and person specifications and competency frameworks
  • Methods of attracting candidates
  • Assessment methodologies
  • Selection boards
  • Eligibility checks
  • Communication
  • Feedback
  • Requests for review and complaints alleging breaches of the Code
  • Training
  • Management systems and quality assurance
  • Documentation
  • Respecting confidentiality
  • Legislative requirements

When we complete our audit, we will discuss our findings with you before drafting a final report. This will give you an opportunity to comment before our report is approved. If we find breaches of the Code of Practice, our report will recommend, or give you directions for, appropriate action. Our final audit report will be made available online.

An account of all our audit activity is also included in our annual report.