Wardens ...

Check the following courses, designed to support warden schemes and individual wardens.

Accredited Core Skills

A Level 2 Certificate which gives street-based patrolling staff the theory, knowledge and practical skills to enable them to perform their role...more

The key issues and ideas: Consider how you will attract a diverse pool of candidates, including women and BME applicants. This is a key issue for all warden schemes;Offering part-time and full-time contracts may assist in attracting a diverse pool of candidates and provide flexibility for your scheme;Consider having some key partners, such as the police and community representatives involved in the selection process;It is important that you get the right people, so spend time and energy planning your interview and selection process and judge on a fair criteria;For some schemes local recruitment may be a target. Some schemes have concerns about the possibility of locally recruited wardens being intimidated or feeling threatened, while those following a caretaking model may be concerned that wardens are always seen as being on duty.

The important thing is to make sure that all applicants are clear about what the job entails. Any functions, e.g. professional witnessing, should be clearly set out. You also need to think about how you will minimise any risks and support any local warden who does experience problems.

Diversity & Female Wardens:

It is important that a warden team reflects the diversity of the wider community which it serves. It is therefore, necessary to try and attract a wide range of applicants. Discuss your recruitment process with the Local Authority’s Equalities Officer or the local Race Equality Council, as they may be able to give you additional advice and support in attracting a diverse team of wardens.

Though wardens should reflect the communities they serve, across the country wardening is still a male-dominated job. An independent evaluation of female wardens has shown that they are under represented in schemes, though they have a valuable contribution to make. Women are more likely to work with hard-to-reach groups such as young mothers, minority ethnic groups, truants and victims of substance misuse. Schemes with women wardens are more likely to prioritise community-oriented activities such as visits to residents and to involve residents in their activities.

In addition to these ideas, please consider:
 Whether the advertisement and job description is female friendly;Women are deterred from applying if they only see men patrolling in the area;Offering an innovative approach to shift patterns including flexible hours, part-time and weekend working;Anecdotal evidence that what attracts women to apply is the appeal of working in the community;The need to retain female staff through openly valuing their contribution and offering family friendly policies, e.g. special leave arrangements.

Also, see Recruiting ex-offenders, for further advice on this topic.