Safer Recruitment

I’ve delivered a few sessions this half term and had the surprise of my life on one of them. I’d never experienced this in all my twenty-one years of being a practitioner. They say it’s never too late to learn and you learn something new everyday. I certainly did.

At the end of the training session a quiet and embarrassed delegate (who was a Head teacher) put his hand up and asked a question. He asked if all staff members had to be recruited, interviewed face to face, have a person specification and job description.  Yes because we need to vet them all hence the name of the course you’re on!

He’d recruited some mid day supervisors the year before without any interviewing and vetting.  I emphasised the dangers in that and strongly advised him to resolve that as soon as possible.  Yes, I mean create the job description and person specification, advertise it, shortlist and interview them including the important safeguarding questions and seek appropriate references.

I guess he was freaked out after he heard the audio of the two sex offenders on the course who’d shared their secrets of how they offended and tricked the people around them.

Please remember to ensure that everyone working in your setting has been recruited safely and appropriately.

Safeguarding children should be major theme running through your setting.