Safeguarding Children: Safer Recruitment and Selection in Education Settings

Context

Following the Soham murder case, the Home Secretary asked Sir Michael Bichard to lead an independent inquiry into child protection measures, record keeping, vetting and information sharing. The report of Sir Michael's inquiry was published in June 2004. He made 31 recommendations, 8 of which fell to the DfES to take action on.

A DfES Guidance Document Safeguarding Children: Safer Recruitment and Selection in Education Settings was published recently. You can view or download the document at

http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/Safer%20recruitment.pdf

The Guidance Document

The document emphasises the importance of developing measures to deter, reject or identify people who might abuse children, or who are otherwise unsuited to work with them. It provides guidance to be used in recruitment and selection procedures and other Human Resources management processes.

The Guidance aims to assist schools to review and, where appropriate, modify their practice and procedure in ways that will strengthen safeguards for children by helping to deter and prevent abuse.

The processes are covered step-by-step, from planning a recruitment and selection exercise to conducting post-appointment induction. Guidance is also given on continuing awareness and maintaining a safer culture within education settings. The document includes a useful checklist that can be used throughout recruitment and selection.

The guidance supplements 'Safeguarding children in education' (DfES 0027 2004), published in September 2004.

Status

The status of the Guidance is that the Governing Bodies of schools must have regard to this guidance in drawing up arrangements for carrying out their functions with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children/pupils as required under the Education Act 2002.

Scope

It is important to note that the measures described in the Guidance should be applied in relation to everyone who works in an education setting where there are children under 18 years of age who is likely to be perceived by the children as a safe and trustworthy adult. This includes temporary and casual staff.

The measures apply not only to people who regularly come into contact with children, or who will be responsible for children, as a result of their work. It also includes people who regularly work in a setting such as a school when the pupils are present, who may not have direct contact with children as a result of their job, but nevertheless will be seen as safe and trustworthy because of their regular presence in the setting.

Volunteers

This includes workers not on the payroll, e.g. unpaid volunteers. Volunteers are also seen by children as safe and trustworthy adults, and if a school is actively seeking volunteers, and is considering candidates about whom it has little or no recent knowledge, it should adopt the same recruitment measures as it would for paid staff.

Where a volunteer is well known to the school it can adopt a more streamlined procedure.

Where a volunteer's role will be a "one-off", e.g. accompanying teachers and pupils on a day outing, the measures would be unnecessary provided that the person is not to be left alone and unsupervised in charge of children.

Where volunteers recruited by another organisation work in a school, e.g. sports coaches from a local club, the school should obtain assurance from that organisation that the person has been properly vetted.

Extended Schools

If additional staff are to be employed to support extended school developments, either directly through the school or by a third party who act as the employer, the measures described in the Guidance should be applied to such appointments. The following link deals with some of the practical issues associated with extended schools

http://schools.norfolk.gov.uk/myportal/index.cfm?s=1&m=1584&p=979,index

Continuing Awareness

The DfES Guidance also stresses that the application of safer recruitment and selection practice must not be the end of the matter. It is crucial that everyone working in a school is aware of these issues, and the need to adopt ways of working and appropriate practice to reduce allegations.

But equally, it is important that everyone is able to raise concerns about what seems to be poor or unsafe practice by colleagues, and that those concerns, and concerns expressed by children, parents or others are listened to and taken seriously.

Training

The Guidance has been produced to accompany and support online training introduced in response to Sir Michael Bichard's recommendation that headteachers and school governors should receive training to ensure that the process of appointing staff reflects the importance of safeguarding children.

An online training website designed and developed by NCSL has begun to be rolled out to all headteachers and one governor from every maintained school in England. The Safer Recruitment online training provides valuable background information, advice about a safer school culture, best practice suggestions and practical advice to strengthen safeguards against employing unsuitable people. The aim is to have at least one person on every interview panel from Spring 2006 who has successfully completed this training. The training will be phased in over the coming months so that the target audience of 50,000-plus should all have access to the training by January 2006.

The training package focuses on the good practices that should be adopted when recruiting and selecting adults to work with children in schools. It sets out procedures and strategies to help those involved in the recruitment process in schools to deter, identify, and reject applicants who are unsuitable to work with children. It also seeks to strengthen safeguards for children in schools in general by helping to deter and prevent abuse, and by creating an environment where everyone is able to raise concerns about what seems to be poor or unsafe practice.

Further details and more information about the access arrangements are given on the following link. www.ncsl.org.uk/saferrecruitment

OFSTED

You should be aware that in future OFSTED evaluations will include an assessment of whether a school operates recruitment and selection procedures that meet the recommendations in the Guidance. The training will help to demonstrate that schools have effective recruitment and selection processes in place that ensure that learners are both well taught and protected.

Further Guidance

We are currently reviewing and revising the Recruitment and Selection section of the Personnel Handbook to be consistent with the Guidance Document.

The guidance makes it clear that when a vacancy is advertised, the advertisement should include a statement about the employer's commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and reference to the need for the successful applicant to undertake a criminal record check via the CRB. Norfolk County Council is making arrangements for such a statement to appear in the weekly composite advertisement for school-based vacancies. If you advertise vacancies outside the composite, you are strongly recommended to include such a statement.

Matters for you to consider immediately

• You are strongly recommended to read the DfES Guidance Document Safeguarding Children: Safer Recruitment and Selection in Education Settings using this link http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/Safer%20recruitment.pdf.
  
  
• Share this information with your Governing Body
  
  
• Arrange for the Governing Body to nominate one Governor to complete the online training
  
  
• Access the online training for yourself and the nominated governor. There is a facility for registration at www.ncsl.org.uk/saferrecruitment Headteachers will need:
  
  
  • Your teachers' DfES number
    
  • Your address & postcode
    
  • Your school LEA and establishment number
    
  • A valid email address
    
  • A contact telephone number
    
    Governors will need the following:
    
    
  • The Headteachers' NCSL username and password
    
  • The school address & postcode
    
  • Your school LEA and establishment number
    
  • A preferred contact email address for the school
    
  • A preferred contact telephone number for the school
    
  • The Governor's full name, title and date of birth
    
  • The Governor's address and contact telephone number
    
  
  
  
• Use the Recruitment and Selection Checklist (Appendix A - copy attached for your convenience) to review and, where appropriate, modify your recruitment and selection practice and procedure in ways that will strengthen safeguards for children.
  

If you have any queries, or require any further help or guidance, your Personnel Consultant will be pleased to help you.

Appendix A Checklist