Agencies and safer recruitment
Effective safer recruitment needs training. We work with the Safeguarding Alliance and are currently in the important process of renewing our agents’ certification. This can’t be a box-ticking exercise. It’s a must for any recruiter. As the BISSC coalition emphasises, documents alone don’t protect children – people do. But strong frameworks empower people to act with confidence, clarity, and care.
We firmly believe that recruitment firms, alongside the schools they serve, must conduct safer recruitment practices that extend well beyond the minimum requirements. This means:
- Comprehensive candidate screening that looks beyond qualifications to examine behavioural patterns and professional conduct
- Structured interview processes designed to identify potential safeguarding concerns
- Thorough reference checking that asks the right questions and probes for relevant information
- Ongoing professional development to stay current with best practices and emerging threats
Addressing the gaps
There is no room for complacency in the industry and there are potential gaps that must be covered in recruitment processes that everyone must address together:
Data sharing between schools and agencies
One of the most pressing issues is the fragmented nature of information sharing between educational institutions and recruitment agencies. When a teacher moves from one school to another, particularly across international borders, crucial safeguarding information can be lost in transition.
We need robust, secure systems that allow relevant safeguarding information to follow educators throughout their careers, whilst respecting privacy laws and ensuring due process. This isn’t about creating a punitive system but rather ensuring that schools have access to the information they need to make informed hiring decisions.