Safeguarding and safer recruitment

The DfES has published new guidance, Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education, which came into force in January. The guidance is almost the 'one-stop shop' that we have been waiting for, covering:

• the legal framework

• roles and responsibilities of heads, governors, and independent school proprietors

• special issues such as boarding schools and extended activities

• recruitment, selection and vetting checks

• recruitment and vetting checks

• dealing with allegations

• workplace placements

The only issue it does not deal with is the more general one covered in What to Do if You're Worried a Child is Being Abused.

College members will find Chapter 4 particularly relevant, as it outlines requirements for maintaining a central record
of checks that became law on
1 January. A record of all completed CRB checks must be available for inspection by 1 April. By then only omissions caused by awaiting CRB responses will be acceptable to Ofsted inspectors, for whom this will be a priority.

At 129 pages the guidance is not intended to be a good read and no one will want to read it from cover to cover, but as a resource it is invaluable. It includes flow charts to help schools devise check lists to make safe recruitment more a matter of routine.

It is not often that we say, "every school and college should have one", but in this case this is justified. It can be downloaded from http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk or ordered from the DfES.