Roles & responsibility
What is safer recruitment?
Safer recruitment is the set of checks and practices used when appointing people who will work with children — including enhanced DBS checks, references, and exploring gaps in employment.
The checks are only half of it. Interview practice, exploring gaps, and verifying identity and qualifications are as much a part of it as the disclosure that comes back.
Enhanced checks with barred list information are required for regulated activity, and starting someone before the check is complete requires a documented risk assessment and supervision rather than being a routine step.
The single central record of checks is what an inspector examines, and gaps in it are found quickly because it is a structured document.
What goes wrong in practice
- Staff starting before checks complete with no documented risk assessment.
- References accepted without being verified with the source.
- Employment gaps noted at interview and never explored.