Data protection, criminal convictions, and further guidance
Your application and data protection
The information that you provide in your application will be the only information used to decide if you are invited for interview. To help us, please make sure you complete all sections. We cannot accept late applications unless there are exceptional circumstances. Read our Privacy and data protection statement on our Edinburgh Council website.
Gaps in employment history
To meet our commitment to safeguard and promote the safety and welfare of children and vulnerable adults, we ask for all your employment history. You must explain all gaps in your employment history (long or short) since first leaving secondary education. Use the ‘Employment timeline’ section of the application form when you provide this information.
Council relationships and canvassing
To ensure fairness, if you have any relatives already working with us, they will not be allowed to take part in the selection process. The canvassing of Councillors or employees of the Council in relation to your application will disqualify you from the recruitment process.
Declaring criminal convictions
Having a criminal record isn’t necessarily a barrier to employment, as each case will be dealt with on its own merit. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 gives individuals the right not to disclose details of old offences if they are deemed to be ‘spent’.
However, for certain posts we will need you to become a member of the PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) scheme before starting in the role. Disclosure Scotland carries out criminal record checks and shares the results with both you and the Council. The information provided on the PVG certificate includes all unspent convictions and cautions, (information which the police consider relevant) and, depending on the offence, spent convictions.