On Thursday 9 June, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) launched its new ‘Making Recruitment Safer’ campaign which aims to promote the range of support we can offer to employers.
The campaign highlights the free advice and training that DBS can offer to organisations and groups of all sizes, at both a national and regional level.
Training and support covers DBS checks, and the legal duty or power to make a barring referral. If appropriate, it can also include the opportunity to access tailored, DBS training workshops and resources.
To help promote the campaign, DBS is working with key high-profile partners in the charity, faith, and education sectors, including the NSPCC, Strengthening Faith Institutions, the National Youth Agency, and the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. These partners will promote the support and training available from DBS to organisations and groups in their networks who employ staff and volunteers.
Eric Robinson, CEO of DBS, said:
DBS performs a vital role in helping to protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults by supporting employers to make safer recruitment decisions. We are pleased to launch our new campaign to highlight the free training and advice we can provide to organisations through our Regional Outreach service.
This service provides organisations with a single point of contact for all DBS-related queries and questions, as well as the opportunity to access tailored, DBS training for their staff and volunteers. The team also collates feedback to ensure future improvements can be made to DBS services and processes.
The first stage of the campaign focuses on charitable organisations and groups who work with children, and is being endorsed and promoted by the NSPCC and the National Youth Agency.
Xyna Prasad, from the National Youth Agency (NYA), said:
The NYA considers DBS to be our first point of contact for advice and support on how we can make fully-informed recruitment decisions and continue to protect children and young people within the sector. DBS is a trusted organisation which supports the sector to make safer recruitment decisions and ensure that we have access to the right and relevant information on DBS checks.
Helen Westerman, Service Head of Local Campaigns at the NSPCC, said:
The NSPCC has been working closely with the Disclosure and Barring Service, to ensure that ourselves and our members have access to relevant and accurate information on the different levels of DBS checks that are available when recruiting new staff into our organisations.
DBS have provided a number of free workshops and resources to ourselves and our members, to advise on how we can all make our recruitment processes safer. We consider DBS an essential partner in helping us all to make fully-informed recruitment decisions and to continue to protect and safeguard children and young people.
More information about the free support and advice available to organisations from DBS, can be found in our Regional Outreach service guidance, where a list of Regional Outreach Officers can also be found.
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