Havering Newsletter

Safeguarding – Conducting online searches – some thoughts

A considerable stir Just two sentences in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2022 have caused a considerable stir in the world of education recruitment, with a flurry of providers coming forward to offer a new service to schools: In addition, as part of the shortlisting process schools and colleges should consider carrying out an online search as part of their due diligence on the shortlisted candidates. This may help identify any incidents or issues that have happened, and are publicly available online, which the school or college might want to explore with the applicant at interview . ‘Should consider’ First of all, this raises the question as to what is meant by ‘should consider’ which implies that this is not a process to be rushed into but something that will require thought, planning and, most likely, an element of trial and error. No timescales are given within KSCIE but a cautious step-by step approach is likely to yield better long-term outcomes than rushing into something that could create problems later. ‘Incidents or issues’ Secondly, there is some ambiguity around what is meant by ‘incidents or issues’. If the purpose of the checks is to identify any behaviours that may make an applicant unsuitable to work with children within your school, they should be carried out in light of your school’s ethos, much as you assess a candidate’s suitability during the interview

itself and whether they may have opinions that are at odds with your values. ‘Try before you buy’ Havering schools are very diverse in terms of size, staff turnover and budgets, hence we cannot recommend a ‘one size fits all schools’ approach. For some, an in house search may prove the best option whilst others may ultimately find an external provider a more time effective solution. Above all, you should do your research first; if the provider can carry out a search with sufficient breadth, whilst being mindful of your school’s ethos and maintaining the candidates’ privacy, then pursue opportunities to ‘try before you buy’. In the meantime, you should start by considering what recruitment paperwork may need to be updated and by ensuring the online check field is added to your SCR.

Michelle Wain HSIS Adviser - EAL & Safeguarding michelle.wain@havering.gov.uk 01708 431650 Carol Rockey HSIS Adviser - Safeguarding & EAL carol.rockey@havering.gov.uk 01708 431651

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