Safer recruitment is the whole process an employer uses to keep people who may harm children or vulnerable adults out of its workforce, from how a job is advertised to the culture that continues long after someone starts. It is not the same as a DBS check. A DBS certificate only shows what is already on record, and someone who has never been caught, or whose behaviour was handled informally, can hold a clear certificate. That is why Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 says plainly that safer recruitment “is not just about carrying out the right DBS checks”. The checks matter, but they are one layer among many.
At a glance: Nexis CPD’s £9 Safer Recruitment in Education course covers planning, values-based interviewing, pre-employment checks, the single central record and the DBS referral duty. Safer Recruitment Awareness applies the same principles across education and care, and Designated Safeguarding Lead (Children) covers the wider safeguarding lead role. They are CPD accredited and 100% online with a verifiable e-certificate, and any three courses cost £18. This is awareness training and general information, not legal advice or a regulated qualification.
What is safer recruitment?
Safer recruitment is a set of practices that make it harder for unsuitable people to apply for, and to be appointed to, roles that bring them into contact with children or adults at risk. Deterrence matters as much as detection. An advert that states a commitment to safeguarding, an application form that demands a full employment history and an interview that probes attitudes to boundaries all tell anyone looking for an easy route in that this employer looks closely.
For schools and colleges in England, the rules are in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), the Department for Education’s statutory guidance. The 2026 edition came into force on 1 September 2026, and safer recruitment is Part three. Our guide to what KCSIE is and who must read it covers the other parts. For care providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England, the equivalent duty is Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Charities, sports clubs and tutoring companies are not covered by either, but the same principles apply.
Why is a DBS check not enough on its own?
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate is a snapshot of recorded information: convictions, cautions, information the police consider relevant and, at the highest level, whether the person is barred. Government guidance on checking someone’s criminal record says the information “will be accurate at the time the check was carried out”. It cannot reveal behaviour that was never reported, never investigated, or dealt with by quietly moving someone on, and it does not cover time spent living abroad.
The rest of safer recruitment exists to close that gap. An unexplained two-year gap in employment, a reference that is vague about why someone left, a candidate who talks about children as friends rather than as people who need protecting, or a pattern of short stays in different settings: none of these appears on a DBS certificate, and all of them are things a good process is built to notice. KCSIE paragraph 422 adds that “safeguarding should not be limited to recruitment procedures” either.
What does KCSIE 2026 say about the recruitment and selection process?
Part three of KCSIE 2026 covers the recruitment and selection process, pre-appointment checks and record keeping, checks on volunteers, contractors and others, and ongoing safeguarding after appointment. The selection stages run in order.
The advert
Paragraph 291 says the advert should include the school’s commitment to safeguarding, make clear that safeguarding checks will be carried out, set out the post’s safeguarding responsibilities, and say whether the post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which affects which spent convictions must be disclosed.
Application forms, not CVs
Paragraph 294 asks for current and former names, a full employment history since leaving school “including reasons for any gaps”, qualifications and referees. Paragraph 295 is blunt: accept a CV only alongside an application form, because “a curriculum vitae on its own will not provide adequate information”. A CV is written to sell, and gaps are easy to smooth over.
Shortlisting, self-declarations and online searches
Paragraph 300 says at least two people should shortlist, looking for gaps and inconsistencies. Shortlisted candidates, and only them (paragraph 297), should complete a self-declaration covering criminal history, barring, prohibition from teaching and overseas information (paragraph 296), so it can be discussed at interview. Paragraph 301 says schools “should consider” an online search on shortlisted candidates and should tell candidates it may happen.
References
Paragraph 302 says references should be obtained before interview where possible, so concerns can be explored with the referee and the candidate. Paragraph 303 rules out open “to whom it may concern” references and relying on applicants to obtain their own, and says every reference should be verified with its author, compared with the application form, and any concerns resolved before the appointment is confirmed.
Does someone on the interview panel need safer recruitment training?
In maintained schools and pupil referral units, yes, by law. Regulation 9 of the School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 requires at least one member of a selection panel to have “completed the safer recruitment training”. KCSIE paragraph 289 repeats this and says governing bodies “may choose appropriate training”.
For every school and college, paragraph 288 says those recruiting staff to work with children should have appropriate safer recruitment training that “should at a minimum cover the content of this part (Part three)”. The regulations define the training by its purpose, not by provider, so the governing body or proprietor decides which training meets that expectation. Our guide to safeguarding training requirements explains how this fits with other statutory training.
What should safer recruitment interview questions cover?
Paragraphs 305 and 306 say interviewers should agree structured questions covering the candidate’s motivation for working with children, relevant experience, and any gaps in employment or frequent changes of job or location. Paragraph 307 lists areas that “may be concerning and lead to further probing”, including an implication that adults and children are equal, a lack of understanding of children’s vulnerability, “inappropriate idealisation of children” and a weak grasp of boundaries.
In practice, that means open questions about real situations, such as what a candidate would do if a child asked them to keep a secret, or how they would respond to a colleague who seemed over-familiar with a pupil, followed up rather than accepting the first polished answer. Paragraph 310 says everything considered, and the decision itself, should be recorded.
What pre-employment checks must schools carry out?
Paragraph 313 says offers should be conditional until the mandatory checks are complete. All schools and colleges must:
- verify identity, being alert to name changes;
- obtain an enhanced DBS check, with children’s barred list information for anyone in regulated activity;
- obtain a separate children’s barred list check if the person starts before the DBS certificate arrives, with appropriate supervision (paragraph 326);
- verify mental and physical fitness for the role;
- verify the right to work in the UK;
- make further checks they consider appropriate if the person has lived or worked outside the UK; and
- verify professional qualifications, using the DfE’s Check a teacher’s record service for qualified teacher status.
All schools must also check that anyone carrying out teaching work is not subject to a teacher prohibition order (paragraphs 332 to 333). Independent schools, including academies and free schools, must check that anyone in a management position is not subject to a section 128 direction barring them from managing an independent school (paragraphs 335 to 339). Schools providing childcare must check that reception and wraparound staff are not disqualified under the Childcare Disqualification Regulations 2018 (paragraphs 342 to 346).
Paragraph 359 says people who have lived or worked abroad must have the same checks as everyone else, plus further checks such as overseas criminal records certificates or a letter of professional standing from a teaching regulator. Paragraph 362 warns that not all countries provide criminal record information. For supply staff, paragraph 364 requires written confirmation that the agency has carried out the same checks, and paragraph 367 says schools should check the person who arrives is the person who was checked.
What is the single central record?
The single central record is the register every school and college in England must keep of pre-appointment checks (paragraph 347). For schools it covers all staff, including agency and supply staff “even if they work for one day” (paragraph 348). Paragraph 350 says it must show whether, and when, each check was done: identity, standalone children’s barred list check, enhanced DBS check, prohibition from teaching, overseas checks, professional qualifications and right to work. Independent schools must also record section 128 checks for those in management positions. Paragraph 356 says any retained copy of a DBS certificate should not be kept for longer than six months, and paragraph 357 confirms schools do not need copies to maintain the record.
The single central record proves that checks were done. It does not prove the recruitment was safe. An organisation can have a flawless record and still appoint someone on the strength of an unverified reference and a five-minute interview.
What does safer recruitment mean for care homes and care providers?
For CQC-registered providers in England, Regulation 19 requires everyone employed to carry on a regulated activity to be of good character, to have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience the work needs, and to be able, after reasonable adjustments, to do the tasks intrinsic to the role. Recruitment procedures must be “established and operated effectively”, and the information in Schedule 3 must be available for each person employed:
- proof of identity including a recent photograph;
- a DBS certificate at the level the role requires, with barred list information where applicable;
- satisfactory evidence of conduct in previous employment in health or social care, or with children or vulnerable adults;
- verification, so far as reasonably practicable, of why any previous work with children or vulnerable adults ended;
- evidence of relevant qualifications, so far as reasonably practicable;
- a full employment history with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps; and
- satisfactory information about relevant physical or mental health conditions.
Since January 2024 the full employment history requirement no longer applies to most volunteers. CQC’s guidance on Regulation 19 says “person employed” includes volunteers, contractors, agency and bank staff, and that Schedule 3 information “must be confirmed before they are employed”. Where an agency does the checks, providers “must assure themselves that all checks are complete and satisfactory”, and providers “must regularly review the fitness of employees” after appointment.
Which DBS check do you need, and what is the barred list?
In England and Wales, the DBS offers four levels of check:
- Basic: unspent convictions and conditional cautions.
- Standard: spent and unspent convictions and cautions.
- Enhanced: the standard information plus local police information considered relevant to the role.
- Enhanced with barred lists: the enhanced information plus whether the person is barred from the role.
The DBS keeps a children’s barred list and an adults’ barred list under section 2 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. Barring applies to regulated activity. Under section 7 it is an offence for a barred person to seek, offer or engage in regulated activity they are barred from, and under section 9 it is an offence to permit them to when you know or have reason to believe they are barred.
For children, KCSIE paragraph 317 summarises regulated activity as teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children, giving advice on their wellbeing, or driving a vehicle only for children, done frequently, on more than three days in any 30-day period, or overnight; personal care and health care count even if done once. The 2026 edition reflects an important change: the Crime and Policing Act 2026 removed the “supervision exemption”, so volunteers who work frequently with children are now in regulated activity even when supervised (paragraph 383), and schools must check the barred list status of existing volunteers brought into scope from 1 September 2026 (paragraph 385).
For adults, regulated activity is defined by the help given, including health care, relevant personal care, social work, and help with household matters or a person’s own affairs because of age, illness or disability. Most care home staff giving care will need an enhanced check with adults’ barred list information.
Does a DBS check expire?
No. Government guidance says “a DBS check has no official expiry date” and that the employer decides when a new check is needed. A certificate cannot show anything that happened after it was issued, which is why many employers set their own renewal policy or use the DBS Update Service.
The Update Service lets employers, with the person’s consent, run a free online check to see whether new information has been added to a standard or enhanced certificate. The person must register when they apply or within 30 days of the certificate being issued; there is an annual fee, and it is free for volunteers. KCSIE paragraph 425 says schools need new checks on existing staff when someone moves into regulated activity, after a break in service of 12 weeks or more, or when there are concerns about suitability.
What happens after someone is appointed?
This is where many organisations relax, and where safer recruitment either becomes a culture or stays a paperwork exercise. KCSIE paragraph 423 asks for processes for “continuous vigilance”, maintaining an environment that “deters and prevents abuse and challenges inappropriate behaviour”. Paragraph 424 says staff should feel comfortable raising concerns and know what to do if they are worried about a colleague. In practice that means:
- an induction covering the safeguarding policy, the code of conduct, how to raise a concern and who the designated safeguarding lead is;
- a probation period with genuine review, not an automatic sign-off;
- supervision that includes conversations about boundaries and conduct; and
- acting on patterns of small concerns rather than dismissing each one in isolation.
Employers also have a legal duty to refer. Section 35 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 requires a regulated activity provider to refer someone to the DBS when it removes them from regulated activity, or would have done had they not left, because it thinks they have engaged in relevant conduct, met the harm test, or been cautioned or convicted of a relevant offence. KCSIE paragraphs 428 to 431 apply this to schools, including for volunteers.
Is safer recruitment different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. KCSIE and CQC regulations apply in England only. Wales uses DBS checks but has its own education safeguarding guidance, Keeping learners safe. In Scotland, the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, run by Disclosure Scotland, has been a legal requirement for anyone doing a regulated role with children or protected adults since 1 April 2025. In Northern Ireland, criminal record checks are carried out by AccessNI. If you recruit outside England, check the rules where the role is based.
What should a safer recruitment checklist include?
Use this as a prompt for your own policy, not a substitute for it. Schools should check each stage against KCSIE Part three.
- Plan the role: state the safeguarding responsibilities and whether it is regulated activity.
- Advertise safely: safeguarding commitment, notice of checks, and Rehabilitation of Offenders Act status.
- Use an application form: full history with gaps explained; never a CV alone.
- Shortlist with two people: look for gaps, inconsistencies and frequent moves.
- Self-declaration and online search: for shortlisted candidates only, and tell them.
- References: requested directly, ideally before interview, verified and compared with the application.
- Trained panel: at least one person trained in safer recruitment, with structured questions on motivation, boundaries and safeguarding.
- Record the decision: what was considered and why.
- Conditional offer: identity, enhanced DBS with the right barred list, right to work, health, qualifications, overseas checks and sector checks such as prohibition, section 128 or childcare disqualification.
- Record the checks: single central record in a school, Schedule 3 file in a CQC-registered service.
- Induct and supervise: safeguarding induction, code of conduct and a real probation review.
- Stay vigilant: re-check when roles change or after breaks of 12 weeks or more, act on concerns, and refer to the DBS when the duty applies.
What safer recruitment training is available online?
Nexis CPD’s Safer Recruitment in Education course is written for schools and colleges. Safer Recruitment Awareness covers the same principles across education and care, and Designated Safeguarding Lead (Children) covers the role of the person who leads on safeguarding. For a broader introduction, see our guide to what safeguarding children means.
£9 per course. CPD accredited, 100% online, verifiable e-certificate. Pay for 2, get 3 — any 3 courses for £18. These are CPD-accredited awareness courses, not Ofqual-regulated qualifications. They do not replace any statutory training your sector requires, and your governing body, proprietor or registered provider decides which training meets its safer recruitment requirement, including for interview panel members.
Frequently asked questions
What is safer recruitment?
Safer recruitment is the whole process an employer uses to deter and prevent people who may harm children or vulnerable adults from joining its workforce, from the advert and application form to references, interviews, checks, induction and ongoing vigilance.
Is a DBS check enough for safer recruitment?
No. A DBS certificate only shows information already on record when it was issued. Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 states that safer recruitment is not just about carrying out the right DBS checks.
Does someone on an interview panel need safer recruitment training?
In maintained schools and pupil referral units in England, at least one panel member must have completed safer recruitment training. KCSIE says all schools and colleges should ensure recruiters have appropriate training, and the governing body or proprietor decides which training is appropriate.
Do schools have to do online searches on candidates?
KCSIE 2026 says schools and colleges should consider an online search on shortlisted candidates as part of due diligence, and should tell candidates it may happen. It is an expectation to consider, not a must.
Does a DBS check expire?
A DBS certificate has no official expiry date, but it is only accurate at the time it was issued. Employers decide when a new check is needed and can use the DBS Update Service, with consent, if the person has subscribed.
What is Regulation 19 in care?
Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires CQC-registered providers in England to employ fit and proper persons, operate effective recruitment procedures and hold the Schedule 3 information for each person employed, including identity, a DBS certificate and a full employment history with gaps explained.
This article is general information about safer recruitment and is not legal advice. Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 and the CQC regulations apply in England, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own guidance and vetting schemes. Check the current guidance on GOV.UK and take advice from your local safeguarding partners, HR adviser or legal adviser for a specific situation. Nexis CPD courses are CPD-accredited awareness training, not Ofqual-regulated qualifications, and they do not replace any statutory training your sector requires.