Safer recruitment online training was commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and developed by NCSL in response to recommendation 16 of the Bichard Inquiry report (published in June 2004). It provides valuable information on a safer school culture, and advice and guidance to strengthen safeguards against employing unsuitable people in schools. The training will help schools demonstrate that they have effective recruitment and selection processes in place that ensure learners are both well-taught and protected, which Ofsted will review through a self-evaluation form.
The training is available to every headteacher, registered teacher and nominated governor within English schools. It is also available to two representatives of each local authority.
Safer recruitment online training is available now. To register, please follow one of the links below:
If you do not meet the above criteria, there is also a public version of the training. This contains the core of the training, content and guidance, available without registration to anyone involved in recruitment and selection or in growing a safer school culture.
Guidance is now incorporated into chapters 3 and 4 of Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education, published by DCSF in November 2006. This guidance also contains information about new mandatory requirements for vetting staff that came into force on 1 January 2007.
More information on this is available in the frequently asked questions section of this website.
At the request of the DCSF, NCSL commissioned subject matter experts to develop workshop materials for delivery at safer recruitment train-the-trainer workshops. These workshops train local authority and local safeguarding children board representatives to deliver their own training to a wider audience within their local authority – for example, those within schools who cannot access the online training, those working with children and young people in other education settings and the wider children’s workforce. The workshops include an assessment and certification to become an NCSL safer recruitment trainer.
For more information about these events, please email [email protected].
If you are a headteacher or governor wishing to attend a face-to-face session, please contact your local authority.
For more information, visit the supporting organisations page.