International schools can no longer access the DBS…what next for safer recruitment?
“ We ALL have a responsibility to safeguard children. This should be at the core of every recruitment decision made within an international school”
ACRO Criminal Records Office senior manager Thomas Mason explains how international schools can still put safeguarding at the heart of every recruitment decision despite no longer having access to DBS checks.
A state of limbo
In early September 2018, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) announced that they would no longer be accepting DBS checks for international schools where the recruitment decision is not made in England or Wales.
This meant that international schools could no longer access enhanced or even standard DBS checks to assess whether or not applicants were suitable to work with children.
While this may have caused concern for key decision-makers within international schools and the education sector overseas, an alternative product exists, which fills the gap created by the loss of access to the DBS.