More than 20,000 unsuitable people were stopped from working with children and vulnerable adults last year, according to figures from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).
The 2007 figures bring the total of unsuitable people prevented from working with vulnerable groups to more than 80,000 in the last four years.
The CRB provides access to criminal record information through its disclosure service. It enables employers to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially jobs that involve working with children or vulnerable adults.
Home Office minister Meg Hillier said: “The government takes the protection of children and vulnerable adults extremely seriously and the CRB plays a vital role in helping us fulfil this duty.
“These results are impressive and clearly demonstrate that employers also recognise the importance of CRB checks in the protection of the most vulnerable in our society.”
Other figures released included:
- 71% of customers speak highly of the CRB checks as an additional recruitment tool
- Nine out of ten employers said that using CRB checks improves their confidence in the recruitment decisions they make
- In nearly nine out of 10 cases, an applicant’s criminal record did not prevent them from being employed.
