Increased awareness is key to safe recruitment in schools, says REC

The REC, the representative body for the UK recruitment industry with a specific sector group for agencies in the education sector, has called for a rational debate on safe recruitment is schools and for a sustained awareness-raising campaign.

This follows confirmation that teachers and other staff already working within schools will not have to undertake a criminal records check.

Commenting on the current situation with regards to safeguarding children and safe recruitment, Tom Hadley, the RECís Director of External Relations says:
ìSafe recruitment must be an absolute priority and supply teacher agencies are doing their bit by abiding to industry Codes of Practice and by signing up to good practice initiatives such as the DfES Quality Mark.

ìIt may seem ironic that all supply teachers being placed into schools on a temporary basis are subject to rigorous checks whilst similar checks are not being carried out on existing staff. However, the logistical problems of putting all staff through the existing CRB system should not be underestimated and the new vetting procedures that come into force in 2008 should provide a workable solutionî.

One of the major issues identified in last yearís Ofsted report on safeguarding children was the need for more awareness within schools on the status of individual checks and for better communication between schools and supply teacher agencies.

Tom Hadley added: ìWhatever vetting system is in place, the key issue will be to ensure that all parties are complying with the right checking requirements. Schemes such as the DfES Quality Mark provide a means for supply teacher agencies to demonstrate compliance through on-site audits and it is crucial to ensure that schools, Local Education Authorities and recruitment professionals work together in order to restore public confidenceî.