PART 1
(OPEN TO THE PUBLIC)
ITEM NO.
REPORT OF HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES
TO
LEAD MEMBER FOR CUSTOMER AND SUPPORT SERVICES
ON
MONDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2008
TITLE:
CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU DISCLOSURE PROCESS
RECOMMENDATION: For information and update only.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This report outlines the progress made since the dedicated
CRB (Safe Employment Team) was established in November 2007 having been agreed
as necessary via Lead Member in September 2007.
BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS: Report to lead Member 3rd September 2007.
(Available for public inspection)
ASSESSMENT OF RISK: Lead Member recognised that failure to discharge CRB
responsibilities represented a significant risk to the Authority and that this could result in
failure to safeguard the children and vulnerable adults being served by Local Authority
staff and Client Organisations.
SOURCE OF FUNDING: Directorate budgets
LEGAL ADVICE OBTAINED:
FINANCIAL ADVICE OBTAINED:
CONTACT OFFICER:
n/a
Irene Topping
Debbie Brown
WARD (S) TO WHICH REPORT RELATE (S):
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TEL. NO.
793 3523
KEY COUNCIL POLICIES:
1. Background.
1.1
The CRB was established in 2002 in response to public concerns about the
safety of children and vulnerable adults. The Disclosure Service was
introduced so that relevant information held by different police forces and
government agencies could be made available from one source, to
appropriate organisations in a more efficient and effective way.
1.2
If an individual is employed by ourselves or is a volunteer for the organisation
and that work will bring them into contact with children or vulnerable adults,
they must have the appropriate CRB check in place. For example, if they
work as a teacher, care worker, scout & guide leader, registered childminder,
sports coach, youth club worker, foster carer or adoptive parent.
1.3
Some service areas (predominately social care) have been subject to an
inspection regime which has required existing employees to be CRB checked.
Some services have taken the opportunity to check all existing employees as
they have become new organisations. For example SCL (Salford Community
Leisure) decided to check all existing staff as part of their arrangements for
establishing SCL as a new organisation.
Officers within the Fostering Service are re-checked every 3 years as are staff
within the Youth Service.
1.4
The Safe Recruitment and Vetting Policy (which was agreed by Lead
Member on 31st March 2008) made clear the intention to check all staff based
within its schools and to recheck these individuals every 3 years to ensure
that any convictions following the initial CRB check are identified and
considered.
1.5
In addition, the ‘Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006’ provides the legal
framework for the new Independent Safeguarding Authority Scheme. This
scheme requires all appropriate individuals employed by ourselves or
volunteers for the organisation to be registered to the scheme. In essence
this is the same group that require a CRB Disclosure.
1.6
To register for the scheme a CRB Disclosure form must be completed. The
Scheme will commence in Autumn 2009 and Salford City Council will have to
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ensure that all appropriate staff and volunteers are registered. Employment of
staff or use of volunteers who are not on the scheme will be regarded as an
offence under the Act. There will be in excess of 7,200 staff who will need to
be registered on this scheme during the timeframe specified.
2. Current Situation
2.1
The Safe Employment Team became operational on 12th November 2007.
The Team comprises of:
1 x Manager
1 x Senior Advisor
4 Safe Employment Team Assistants. Totalling 216 hours per week
2.2
Since that time the Team have concentrated their efforts upon the large
number of staff based in Schools for whom the authority did not have CRB
Disclosure evidence in place. This has meant that 3700 schools based staff
in 99 schools across Salford now have a completed CRB in place and will be
subject to a recheck every three years – this includes those staff employed
pre 2002 when CRB legislation first came into place.
2.3
Salford City Leisure services staff had previously been checked at the time
that the CRB process came into being and subsequently the Safe
Employment Team has revisited their staffing numbers and have rechecked
355 existing staff as well as bringing new staff into their checking process.
2.4.
Since the local elections in May 2008 all newly elected Members and those
reselected but with a CRB older that three years have also been brought into
the checking programme. 75 councillors have been contacted and there
remain 27 Members outstanding.
2.5
Ofsted required that all schools based staff should be checked and as such
the Safe Employment Team has processed 630 CRB applications for Citywide
cleaning and Catering staff.
2.6
The early adoption of Contact Point, the new national system for the
protection of vulnerable children will also require significant number of staff
who have not previously been CRB checked, for example IT Consultants to
be enhanced CRB checked by January 2009. At the present time the Safe
Employment Team is assisting the Children’s Services Directorate to check
over 50 staff who are to be engaged in the pilot run of Contact Point from
January 2009. It is likely that there may be several hundred employees or
users of Contact Point in the future once the system is embedded and this will
form an ongoing work programme for the Team.
2.7 The Safe Employment Team utilises an access database to manage and
record progress in all of the CRB cases and at present there are 8788
records stored upon it. The database has been developed and improvements
made to refine processing and so each Safe Employment Team Assistant
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manages a caseload of Schools or Directorate areas with performance
management data available to help them to track progress on each CRB case.
Elements of the process are linked to SAP so that the central SAP staff record
holds data about a Person’s CRB status as necessary. Discussions are in
progress with ICT Services to refine or replace the access database to come in
line with the Think Efficiency programme.
2.8 The Team was also resourced to undertake CRB checks for other public/private
organisations for a fee enabling the Team to become self funding. To date
there are 16 Umbrella groups being supported via the Safe Employment Team
with 46 plus 21 Sports Council and 20 GMPA CRB applications having
been processed.
2.9 Additional work has been ongoing with other Directorates within the City
Council for example within the Children’s Services and Community Health and
Social Care directorates there have been 430 applications processed. Smaller
Directorate areas have also been supported – Chief Executive’s, Housing and
planning as well as 50 new applicants from Customer Services – some of which
were in support of the newly developed Gateway staff (see Summary Table at
point 3).
2.10 Other key duties of the Team have been (and are ongoing)
To review, create and develop fit for purpose policies and procedures for the
CRB Team.
Prepare reports for presentation on the changes to legislation, policy and
organisational arrangements for service delivery.
To undertake audits of customers internal processes to ensure compliance with
CRB guidance.
To act as an effective liaison officer with a range of external bodies
To monitor and control team workloads, performance, direct priorities and
take action to ensure that targets are met.
To ensure that the necessary training and development is provided to all staff
within the team and to contribute to the wider organisational development of the
CRB Process.
3 Summary Table of work completed.
Directorate/Section
No of Applications processed
Schools
3700
Citywide (clean/cater)
630
Members
75
Contact Point
50
Salford Comm Leisure
355
Umbrella Clients
46
Sports Council
21
GMPA
20
Children's Service
390
Comm Health & Social Care 140
Chief Executive
20
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Housing
Customer Services
Total
20
50
5517
4. Customer Feedback
In planning for a Team development day we have sought to have some feedback
from our Directorate customers. Enclosed below are a few testimonials which add
credence to the work that we are doing and which we can use as a platform to
further enhance relationships and gain more customer areas.
.1” We have found the contact with your team to be extremely helpful.
All contacts from our team have been met with friendly, helpful and knowledgeable advice.
Advice on policies and processes has aided our organisation.
Speed of process is much improved, although would still like it speedier!
Our managers are very clear and confident in your team’s expertise and support for us.
We have had a number of “more interesting” issues to deal with over the last several months and together have considered
each on its own merits – your team’s understanding of the issues and willingness to find solutions and work through issues has
been refreshing.
All in all we have been extremely pleased with how things have progressed and would like to thank you and your colleagues
for your support and involvement with us.” (SCL)
.2” Telephone /face to face - The team always respond quickly. Everyone I have dealt with has been very professional and
helpful and had a very customer oriented approach. Lovely telephone manner and helpful emails from all concerned.
Management information - I get regular feedback from individuals which is great and very helpful. It would also be helpful for
each recruiting manager to receive a report on the status of all requests you have made as a manager so you could tie this up
with your own information. This would be great as a once monthly return.
Al my requests for information are dealt with quickly and effectively and I have great confidence in the advice given. Please
forgive my ignorance but have you got a website that we can look up the latest guidance or could you produce an e-newsletter
to keep us all up to date?.
It is very good that staff/governors can make an appointment to get help with this. I have received good feedback from staff
and governors alike.
The support for the governor training programme has been excellent.
Generally I have seen the setting up of this team as a very positive development for the council services. It has helped me and
my team a great deal. The team are very easy to work with and the procedures are clear and easy to follow and I have a lot
more confidence in our safeguarding systems since the team was set up”. (Governor Services)
.3 ” May I start by passing on a huge 'thanks' to you and the team, I think your work with the Skills Centre Staff is making a
real difference, and it feels like we are on top of the CRB requirements. I like you feel that now we have started to work with
you, the processes will become much more smoother, and should be going on in the background. The staff feel it is going to
work well.” (Salford Skills Centre)
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