SAFER RECRUITMENT IS MORE THAN A DBS CHECK
I specialise in the delivery of Safer Recruitment training. I offer bespoke half‑day workshops tailored to your organisation, or — as an accredited trainer for the Safer Recruitment Consortium — I can deliver their full one‑day programme.
I provide Safer Recruitment training for both child and adult settings and can tailor the content to reflect your specific context, risks, and safeguarding responsibilities - including those set out in the Jersey Care Commission standards.
The Safer Recruitment Consortium is a partnership between four organisations, the NSPCC, The Lucy Faithful Foundation, NASS and CAPE. Representatives of these organisations have been working together since 2014 to ensure that both child and adult settings have access to high-quality, up-to-date Safer Recruitment Training.
Safer Recruitment is a subject I’ve been passionate about for nearly 15 years. My interest began in 2012 when I led the research, development and implementation of the Safer Recruitment policy and procedure for the Education, Sport and Culture Department of the Government of Jersey. I went on to redesign all associated workflows, systems and documentation to ensure everything aligned seamlessly with the new safeguarding standards.
Ahead of the policy launch, I delivered Safer Recruitment training to around 150 head teachers, deputy heads, line managers and others responsible for recruiting anyone working or volunteering with children and young people — building capability, confidence and consistency across the entire department.
The Bichard Report
Safer Recruitment as we know it today, was born from the 2004 Bichard Enquiry. Following Ian Huntley's conviction in December 2003 for the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells (the Soham murders), Sir Michael Bichard was appointed by the then Home Secretary, David Blunkett to lead an independent inquiry into child protection measures, record keeping, vetting and information sharing in Humberside Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary. Within his conclusion, Bichard wrote:
Safer Recruitment - My Definition:
“Safer Recruitment is the name given to the particular approach we take and the extra care we take to examine and verify a candidate’s application and pre-employment checks in order to help DETER, IDENTIFY and REJECT those who are unsuitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk.”
It is also having the belief that “it could happen here” and the importance of fostering an ongoing culture of vigilance.
"For those agencies whose job it is to protect children and vulnerable people, the harsh reality is that if a sufficiently devious person is determined to seek out opportunities to work their evil, no one can guarantee that they will be stopped. Our task is to make it as difficult as possible for them to succeed....”
How I can help
Train your staff so they fully understand their Safer Recruitment responsibilities and feel skilled, confident and capable in applying them
Review your existing Safer Recruitment policy and procedure to ensure it reflects best‑practice standards and meets any regulatory obligations relevant to your setting.
Develop a complete Safer Recruitment toolkit for your organisation — including a policy and procedure, manager checklists, application forms, reference request templates and any other documentation you need to embed safe and consistent safer recruitment practice.
If you could benefit from my expertise in Safer Recruitment, please get in touch.
This is where Safer Recruitment comes in.