The UK’s withdrawal from the EU has created a lot of changes within safeguarding children in education. Recent changes have been made within the consultation of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) that commenced on the 18th January 2021. EEA sanction checks were usually carried out to those who lived or worked outside of the UK coming from the EU. (Paragraphs 149 & 165 (bullet. 5), removed references to checking Teacher Services for EEA sanctions) as the UK now stands as an independent country.

Schools and Colleges must follow the amended guidance (Paragraph 172 KCSIE) provided by the Department of Education when hiring staff who are not UK or Irish nationalists. The individuals who have lived or worked outside of the UK must have an enhanced DBS certificate (including barred list information, for those who will be engaging in regulated activity) even if the individual has never been to the UK. Schools and Colleges must carry out additional checks for the teaching roles, this could be about their previous work conduct or any information that was issued by overseas teaching authority where they think is appropriate. Schools and Colleges must seek alternative methods that are sufficient when information is not provided by the overseas teaching authority. Sanctions and restrictions that will not prevent the individual from teaching in the UK imposed onto individuals must be considered when evaluating the suitability of employment. This evidence should be considered all together alongside other safeguarding checks so that any relevant events that occurred outside of the UK are considered. More information can be found in the Department for Education Guidance, Recruit teachers from overseas.

It is crucial that the changes made to legalisation are made aware to Schools and Colleges and carried out accordingly to ensure our children’s safety within their learning environment. Single Central Record as a company prioritises acting upon any changes to the safeguarding of children within education to keep your schools, colleges and multi-academy trusts safe and compliant.

Single Central Record Checklist background

The legislation concerning single central records for schools and colleges in the UK was drawn up to help educational institutions safeguard the welfare of the children in their charge. By ensuring that all employees are thoroughly vetted during the recruitment process, your school can provide the maximum protection possible for each and every one of its pupils. You will also remain in full compliance with government regulations.

The concept and aims of the single central record system are well understood by education professionals in the United Kingdom but to help you ensure that complacency does not cause standards to slip. In this article we have outlined a few of the most common mistakes that school administrative departments make with regards to the operation and maintenance of their single central records.

Single Central Record Checklist - the most common mistakes

• Giving One Member of Staff Sole Responsibility of the single central record.  This might sound like a good idea in theory but in practice, you will find it much easier to maintain your school SCR if several members of staff are involved in its administration. The main problem with tasking a single member of staff with the job of maintaining your single central record is that no other staff members will have the knowledge and experience to take over the job in the event that person is absent or decides to leave.
• Omitting the Date of Checks and Enquiries.  In order to remain in compliance with SCR regulations, you need to make sure that the date of each check made and certificate obtained is noted in the single central record. These dates must be accurate: your school could run into difficulties in the event that mistakes or inaccuracies are discovered during an SCR audit.
• School have missing data such as DBS disclosure numbers, issue/evidenced by dates, recording the issue dates only.
• Some schools renew checks and find it hard to keep on track of renewal dates.
• Schools failing to carry out List 99 Checks on Staff commencing work at the school before their DBS has been disclosed.
• Failure to Record Prohibition from Teaching Checks - When Keeping Children Safe in Education (2015) was published, schools were to back date this check for permanent teaching staff from 1^st April 2012, the facility to carry out the check became available in 2014 for schools by logging into Secure Access – Teacher Regulation Agency.
• Failure to Record Section 128 Checks for Governors in Maintained Schools- When Keeping Children Safe in Education (2018) was published, schools were reminded that the s128 order applies to maintained schools as well as independent schools (including academies and free schools).
• Overseas criminal record checks and EEA Checks if applicable not being carried out.
• Qualifications not being recorded were applicable.
• Failing to carry out QTS Checks on members of staff with a TRN number.
• Failing to record Right to Work or evidencing ID documents seen.

Our online SCR software solution is the easiest way to avoid administrative errors and omissions where your single central record is concerned.

Tel: 0151 606 5101 – info@onlinescr.co.uk

Do you have volunteers helping at your educational establishment? It is vital that the correct level of DBS check is requested for those coming into contact with children, whether or not they are a volunteer.

What level of DBS check do volunteers require?

If the applicant has an opportunity for regular contact with children but is not engaging in regulated activity, they are eligible for an enhanced DBS certificate (without the children barred list check). Regular contact, as defined by the Disclosure & Barring Service, is working at least 4 days within a 30-day period in a specified establishment. If the applicant is volunteering as a one off, it is at the school’s discretion whether or not a check is needed.

Some school volunteers are eligible for an enhanced DBS which includes a check of the children’s' barred list because the volunteer will be engaging in regulated activity. Applicants are considered to be engaging in regulated activity if, ahttps://onlinescr.co.uk/safeguarding/dbs-checks/s a result of their work, they:

• will be responsible for teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children on a regular basis in a school or college
• work regularly in a school or college where that work provides an opportunity for contact with children
• engage in personal care or supervise the children overnight, even if this happens in one instance.

Does the applicant meet the DBS check volunteer criteria?

In order to be eligible for volunteer status, the applicant must meet the criteria below:

• The applicant does not benefit directly from the role - e.g. is not there to gain experience
• Except for travel and out of pocket expenses, the applicant is not paid for their role
• The applicant is not on a work placement
• The applicant is not on a course that requires them to do this role
• The applicant is not in a position that will lead to a full-time role/qualification.

If the applicant does meet the criteria, the government fee of £40.00 for the enhanced DBS check is not applicable, although there may still be an administrative fee.

When should the check be completed for volunteers in a school?

An enhanced DBS check should be completed at the pre-employment stage. If the DBS certificate is delayed, a separate children’s’ barred list check must be obtained before the applicant has started to volunteer.

Are you interested in making safer recruitment decisions for your school?

Single Central Record combines all your educational employment checks – DBS checks, Children’s Barred List (List 99) Checks, Qualified Teacher Status checks, Prohibition checks, EEA checks and Section 128 checks – into one online portal!

Register with Single Central Record here for the solution to all your schools single central record issues!

See below 5 essential checks you must perform before employing a new teacher.

If you want your school to arm children with the skills they need to thrive later in life, you need to employ fully qualified, experienced and passionate teachers with the correct checks..

However, while checking for teacher’s credentials is crucial, there are other pre-employment checks you need to carry out. The easiest way to make sure a teacher is eligible to work at your school is to invest in a Single Central Record, which can not only perform the relevant checks but also store all your information in one place.

1. DBS Check

Carrying out an enhanced DBS check on new teachers is an Ofsted requirement. It is designed to protect children by preventing unsuitable candidates from entering the workforce. If an individual fails the DBS check, they will be on the children’s barred list, which means they are not allowed to work with young people. Hiring anybody on the children’s barred list is prohibited.

2. European Economic Area (EEA) Check

EEA checks help you find out whether a teacher who gained their qualifications in any EEA-member state has received any restrictions regarding teaching. EEA countries include EU-member states as well as Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

3. Prohibition Check

Prohibition checks must be carried out as part of the pre-employment checking process according to ISI and Ofsted requirements. This check ensures candidate teachers are not prohibited from teaching.

4. Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Checks

The Qualified Teacher Status Check is concerned with making sure the teacher you want to hire is actually qualified to teach according to the minimum qualification requirements in England and Wales.

5. Section 128 Checks

The Section 128 check is essential because it will tell you whether a candidate has been barred from taking part in the management of any independent school (including free schools and academies).

Single Central Record can complete any of the educational recruitment checks above within 24 hours, as well as provide you with a system to keep all the checks updated and in one place.

 

Call us now to learn more!