If you need to remain in a geographical area for specific caring or health reason, to you can apply to be considered for pre-allocation on the grounds of special circumstances.
If you fall into one of the following eligibility criteria will be pre allocated into the post, subject to it meeting the requirements of your training programme.
Criterion 1
You are the primary carer for someone who is disabled, as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
Definition of 'disability' under the Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment, that the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities. For the purposes of the Act the below apply.
Substantial means more than minor or trivial.
Long term means that the effect of the impairment has lasted or is likely to last for at least 12-months.
Normal day to day activities include things like eating, washing, walking and going shopping. Some conditions, such as addictions to non-prescribed substances, are specifically excluded. People who have had a disability in the past that meets this definition are also covered by the scope of the Act.
There are additional provisions relating to people with progressive conditions. People with HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis are protected by the Act from the point of diagnosis. People with visual impairments are automatically deemed to be disabled.
For you to meet this criterion, you must be the primary carer for this person who would normally be your partner, parent or sibling.
If the person they are caring for is not your partner, sibling or parent, you will be expected to explain clearly and present a strong case as to why and how you have the role of primary carer for this person.
If you provide care for a person as part of a group of carers, e.g., a family, you are not eligible to apply under this criterion.
It is expected that you and the person who you care for in this category will remain in your current address(es) and application for pre allocation will be to a scheme local to that address. If this is not the case, relevant evidence must be supplied as to why follow up arrangements could not continue as present
You will be required to complete a care plan to demonstrate how you will combine the responsibilities of foundation dentist and primary carer and that local support resources have been fully considered.
You will be required to supply the following supporting evidence:
- statement from GP/Social Services professional that they have known you for normally at least 6-months confirming your role as primary carer for this person
- a care plan
- proof of current address, e.g., driving licence, utility bill dated within the last three months or council tax bill dated within the last twelve months
Criterion 2
You have a medical condition or disability for which ongoing follow up for the condition in the specified location is an absolute requirement
As this medical condition already exists for you as a dental student, it is expected that you will remain in your current address and application for pre-allocation will be to a scheme within the region local to that address. If this is not the case, clear arguments need to be made as to why follow up arrangements could not continue as present.
If the request for pre-allocation is not for a scheme close to their dental school relevant evidence must be supplied as to why follow up arrangements could not continue as present.
You will be required to supply the following supporting evidence.
A report by the current medical specialist treating the condition or Occupational health physician in which they will be required to:
- describe the current medical condition or disability
- describe the nature of the ongoing treatment and frequency
- state why the follow up must be delivered in a specific location, rather than by other treatment centres in the UK.
Criterion 3
You are a parent or legal guardian of a child or children under the age of 18 who reside primarily with you and for whom you have significant caring responsibilities.
If your sole criterion is that you or your partner is currently pregnant, you will not be regarded as eligible for pre-allocation on the grounds of special circumstances.
It is expected that you and you child(ren) in this category will remain in your current address and application for pre-allocation will be to a scheme local to that address.
If you and your child(ren) do not normally reside together, this should be referred to on the application form, and information must be supplied as to why the caring responsibilities remain equally significant.
You will be required to supply the following supporting evidence.
- Copy of birth certificate(s) of child(ren).
- For legal guardians a copy of the legal document that confirms your status for the child named in the birth certificate.
- Statement confirming that you have significant caring responsibilities for the child(ren) from an appropriate professional who you would normally have known for at least 6-months.
- Proof of current address, e.g., driving licence, utility bill dated within the last 3-months or council tax bill dated within the last 12-months.
Applying for special circumstances
If you wish to be considered for special circumstances pre-allocation, you should ensure that you state this on your application form, but more importantly submit supporting evidence directly to the London and KSS Recruitment team via the Applicant Support Portal at the time of application/stated deadline.
Requests for consideration of special circumstances received in any other way will not be accepted.
Supporting Evidence
Full details of the supporting evidence required can be found above. Special circumstances applications will be reviewed by a specialty panel and a decision on whether the application has been successful will be communicated.
If you are unhappy with the decision of the specialty review panel, you are permitted to submit an appeal to the national review panel. The decision of the national review panel will be final.
Allocation
If you have have been accepted as having a special circumstance, you will be pre-allocated into a scheme within your approved region subject to the following criteria being met.
- You are deemed appointable.
- You are ranked highly enough nationally to receive an offer in any region.
If you do not rank highly enough nationally to be offered a training place in the first round of offers, you will be placed on a reserve list, pending more posts becoming available or offers being declined.
If these conditions are met, you will be pre-allocated into a scheme within your approved training region. You are not guaranteed a particular practice within the preferred training scheme.
Where a post becomes available in the approved location, this will be pre-allocated to the special circumstances applicant, subject to national ranking, but there is no guarantee of matching special circumstances applicants to preferred locations after the first round of offers has been completed. An applicant without special circumstances who has accepted a post in the approved location of an applicant with special circumstances will not be displaced to allow allocation of the special circumstances applicant.
When choosing posts, you must ensure that they meet the eligibility for those posts. This includes those who are currently on or will require a visa.
Reasonable Adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are the practical arrangements made to provide access to the Situational Judgement Test (SJT), to ensure that no applicant is at a disadvantage on the grounds of disability or health, without changing the demands of the assessment.
You must apply for reasonable adjustments as part of the national application process also submitting any relevant supporting information by the closing date at 9am (UK time) on 9 September 2022. It is important to note that the Reasonable Adjustments allowed for the SJT selection assessment may differ from those you obtain for university exams.
The Dental Foundation Training National Recruitment Office (DFTNRO) is aware of the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and will make reasonable adjustments to accommodate requests provided these are made known in advance. Any requests for reasonable adjustments (e.g. wheelchair access, extra time, nursing mothers) must be submitted as part of your Oriel Application form. Adjustments cannot be guaranteed if contact is made after the specified deadline and no adjustments can be made on the week of the test
In some instances, in order to satisfy requests for adjustments, it may be necessary to schedule your exam at a specific time or in a specific location.
As part of your application form you will be asked to select the relevant adjustment and upload the supporting evidence to support the request.
If you have any queries regarding Reasonable Adjustments, please contact the DFTNRO recruitment team.
Disability Confident Scheme
If you have a disability, defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities and you meet the minimum criteria as specified in the Person Specification you must submit any reasonable adjustments requests and Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) at the point of application, also ensuring you attach all the relevant supporting information when submitting your Oriel application.
Page last reviewed: 12 August 2022