Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Criminal recordsRecruitment & retention

Criminal vetting of employees must be simpler and more cost effective

by Personnel Today 14 Jul 2010
by Personnel Today 14 Jul 2010

The new coalition government should take a more efficient, common-sense approach to criminal vetting of staff and only require it where necessary, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

Responding to four separate government consultations, the REC highlighted members’ concerns that recruitment agencies often have to process repeat Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks, which is both costly and time consuming, especially for those working in temping environments where they change jobs regularly, such as supply teachers, agency nurses or locum doctors.

Last month, the government announced it was “fundamentally remodelling” a new vetting and barring scheme, which would have allowed new employees and job movers to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority on a regularly updated list that employers can reference.

It was meant to go live on 26 July but was put on hold because of concerns over the extra bureaucracy it would cause by duplicating the existing safeguarding measures for many roles where CRB checks are also required. The most recent consultation closed last Friday.

Speaking to Personnel Today, Anne Fairweather, the REC’s head of public policy, said: “The government has been trying to sort this out since 2006. We want to make sure we get it right this time.”

Once the vetting and barring scheme is up and running, the REC wants greater portability of criminal disclosures, within strict guidelines, and through considering the necessity of continuing to apply for criminal disclosures.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“The vetting process needs to be easy to use and make sense,” continued Fairweather. “Safe recruitment is much broader than simply criminal checks. Recruitment agencies also carry out checks on identity, making sure people have the professional qualifications they say they have, which, along with interviews, are also a vital part of assessing if someone is safe to work with children or vulnerable adults.”

Fairweather added: “The REC fully supports measures to encourage safe recruitment but the CRB must also respond to a workforce that moves frequently.”

Personnel Today

previous post
Holiday childcare a problem for working parents
next post
Strathclyde Police imposes immediate recruitment freeze

You may also like

Recruitment outlook improves, despite employment law fears

29 May 2025

How neuroscience can unlock employee recognition

22 May 2025

Workers ‘wait and see’ as companies struggle to...

16 May 2025

So what does the election of a new...

9 May 2025

Rumours during recruitment: how should HR respond?

9 May 2025

Teacher apprenticeship route to be tied to school...

9 May 2025

British Steel to resume recruitment

8 May 2025

M&S pauses hiring as it deals with cyber...

2 May 2025

Top 10 HR questions April 2025: increases to...

2 May 2025

Leading with honest feedback: A responsibility in recruitment

24 Apr 2025

  • Preparing for a new era of workforce planning (webinar) WEBINAR | Employers now face...Read more
  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+