REC welcomes Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups bill

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), the representative body for the UK recruitment industry, has welcomed the key measures announced in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill and the proposed simplification of the checking regime. However, real concerns remain over the viability of the general Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checking system and the severe backlogs.

The REC represents agencies in sectors such as Childcare, education, social care and nursing where the effective vetting of workers is essential. Commenting on the proposed measures John Dunn, Chair of the REC Education Sector Group, said, ìthe simplification of the checking regime is badly needed and the introduction of an independent panel to take decisions about individual cases should restore confidence in the system. Recruitment agencies have a key role to play in ensuring that the right checks have taken place, however their judgement was only as good as the information they were provided withî.

Despite the simplification of the initial checking procedure, it appears that it will still be necessary to obtain a full CRB disclosure. The ongoing backlogs in obtaining these checks have caused real problems for workers, employers and agencies and there is a real risk that the situation could get worse, particularly in light of the CRBís announcement that it would no longer endorse ëportabilityí of eth CRB checks.

Commenting on some of these ongoing concerns, Peter Cullimore, Chair of the RECís Nursing & Social Care Sector Group, said ìEffectively protecting vulnerable groups is an absolute priority. At the same time, we need a system that is workable and that does not increase the complexity for all those involved. The recent announcement by the CRB that it would no longer endorse ëportabilityí of CRB checks would seem to be a step in the wrong direction when the focus should be on finding ways of ensuring that portability provisions are a safe and viable option. A high proportion of workers register with several agencies at the same time and can be placed on a succession of short-term assignments. Having to re-apply for a full CRB check with each agency will put further pressure on an already overloaded system.î