Safeguarding Children and the Single Central Record

New guidance entitled Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education was issued on the 14th November 2006, reflecting changes to the law governing school and FE staffing which came into force on the 1st January 2007, and consolidating previous guidance on safeguarding children. The guidance can be downloaded or ordered in hard copy via the Teachernet website.

The main regulatory changes reflected in the guidance are:
* Making it mandatory for local authorities, schools and FE colleges to carry out CRB disclosures on all new applicants for work in schools and FE colleges who have lived or worked overseas, and to seek additional information about an applicant's conduct.
* Placing a responsibility on schools and FE colleges to keep a single, central record collating when checks on staff were made and by whom, including identity, qualification requirements, List 99 and Criminal Records Bureau checks.
* Introducing a responsibility for schools and FE colleges to request full details of CRB checks carried out on staff supplied through an agency, for schools and FE colleges to see the CRB disclosure where it contains information and the need for schools and FE colleges to show that these checks have been verified in the single central record.

From 1 April 2007:

• Schools must have evidence that staff appointed before 1 March 2002 have been checked against List 99.


• Schools must have evidence that any staff, volunteers etc., appointed on or after 1 March 2002, who come into regular contact or have unsupervised access to children, and who have not had continuity of employment in a school in England (ie a break of service longer than 3 months), have been subject to CRB enhanced disclosure and other designated recruitment checks (see guidance chapter 4 paragraph 4.8); where Norfolk County Council is the employer, an enhanced CRB disclosure and other designated recruitment checks are compulsory for all new appointments to any post in a school, without exception; where the governing body is the employer, it is strongly recommended that you adopt the Norfolk policy, which is attached as appendix 3 to this letter.


• Schools must carry out pre-appointment checks on the identity of new school governors; clerks can request a governor to obtain a CRB check if there is cause for concern.


• Schools must have written confirmation from the employing agency that agency supply staff have been subject to all appropriate checks.


• Schools must ensure that prescribed checks, including additional checks as appropriate, are carried out in respect of staff who have lived outside the United Kingdom (see guidance chapter 4 paragraphs 4.65 to 4.73).


• Schools must have a single central record of recruitment and vetting checks covering all employed staff and others identified by the school as having regular contact with children.

Paragraph 4.54 of the guidance shows a suggested format for the central record, which is provided as appendix 1 to this letter. Appendix 2 is the format we recommend, with additional columns to indicate the date a CRB disclosure form was sent to the LA, to record the 12 digit disclosure number when received, and to record whether as a result of the disclosure, a risk assessment was required and completed.

The DfES wrote to all headteachers on the 14th November 2006, drawing their attention to the new guidance, and in April 2007, Children's Services' MI sheet 67/07 advised schools of the replacement of the Norfolk Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC), under the Children Act 2004, with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB), and provided explanatory commentary on the new guidance.

Since the above regulations came into force, Ofsted has had a duty to check that schools have the correct record system in place and robust systems for ensuring that checks are made at the right time. Evidence from CRB and Ofsted is that appropriate checks are being carried out, but that some schools are failing to keep effective or complete records. That this has included some Norfolk schools has prompted me to write to you with this reminder, in order to assist any schools, which, for any reason, are failing to meet the requirements, either through lack of clarity or oversight.

I hope this reminder of the relevant guidance proves helpful, I wish to thank everyone for your efforts to ensure the safeguarding of the children in our care.

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment and Selection in Education Settings - CRB Checks