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Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec

Standards in Recruitment confirmed as an ‘Approved Accreditation Body’ by the CCS

As the launch of the Crown Commercial Services’ supply teachers agreement moves a stage closer, the CCS have confirmed Standards in Recruitment as an approved accreditation body.

In addition to suppliers being required to comply with the CCS overall service specification, they will also be required to obtain an industry standard accreditation before supplying services under the agreement to demonstrate robust recruitment processes as tested and audited by an approved accreditation body.

Commenting on this, John Randall, engagement director for SiR said “This is good news for the sector. For the first time an independent standard has been accepted as suitable, breaking the traditional prerequisite for an agency to be a member of a trade association. Accreditation is awarded only after compliance with standards set by industry stakeholders have been established via an audit.”

Randall continues “Safeguarding is at the core of SiR’s teacher agency standards and as part our audit process we look for evidence that a recruitment business has in place procedures to ensure that all relevant supply staff are fully trained on current safeguarding rules, aligned to the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This provides the hiring education authority or school the confidence it needs, particularly in the critical areas of safeguarding and pupil security.”

“SiR accreditation is only awarded to those recruitment businesses that demonstrate actual compliance, not those working towards it. The ‘Pass’ requirement is not based on a points system or graded in any way, but relies on proof of compliance on audit carried out by independent experts.”

SiR was launched in 2015 in order to meet the growing needs of hirer governance and supplier compliance in the recruitment industry through independent verification, and is available to all recruitment businesses operating in any sector. The process to accreditation includes a programme to help agencies improve where necessary, this in turn helping their business. SiR was also approved as a suitable standard by the National Association of Head Teachers in 2017 and is recognised by TEAM, the UK’s largest network of independently owned recruitment and employment agents.

For further information please call 0845 4504415, email info@standardsinrecruitment.com or visit www.standardsinrecruitment.com/sir-education