Agency staff subject to new vetting rules

New safeguards to vet agency staff working with vulnerable children
and adults have been announced by the government.

Under the new rules, agencies supplying temporary staff to work
with children, older people and disabled people will be required to
carry out additional checks.

These include getting copies of relevant qualifications and two
references, and a responsibility to take all “reasonable” steps to
confirm that a worker is not “unsuitable”.

The rules from the Department of Trade and Industry also state
that, if adverse information about a member of staff comes to
light, an agency would have to remove the worker or inform the
employer if the individual had started working on a permanent
basis.

Kerrie Holland, quality manager at recruitment service Social Work
Solutions, said: “We welcome this announcement. It is long overdue.
The quality levels we set for ourselves already go beyond these
requirements. Any agency worth its salt would already be carrying
out this level of vetting.”

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