Safeguarding & Safer Recruitment Statement

Educated Appointments Ltd works with candidates, employers, training providers and education organisations across Further Education, Skills, Training and Apprenticeships.

This statement explains our approach to safeguarding and safer recruitment when supporting recruitment activity. It is intended to help candidates, clients and employers understand how we promote responsible recruitment practice and how safeguarding information is handled.

We are committed to supporting safer recruitment and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk where recruitment activity relates to education, training, apprenticeships, care, support or other regulated environments.

We expect candidates, clients, employers, training providers and people acting on behalf of Educated Appointments Ltd to act professionally and to take safeguarding responsibilities seriously.

This statement applies to:

• Recruitment activity carried out by Educated Appointments Ltd.
• Candidate screening, registration, interviewing and submission processes.
• Vacancies involving education, training, apprenticeships, vulnerable learners, children, young people or adults at risk.
• Candidate documents, safer recruitment records, DBS status information, right to work information and references where relevant.
• Communication with clients, employers, training providers and candidates about safer recruitment matters.

Educated Appointments Ltd supports safer recruitment by collecting relevant information, asking appropriate questions, maintaining clear records and sharing relevant candidate information with clients where appropriate.

Clients, employers and training providers remain responsible for their own statutory safeguarding duties, recruitment decisions, pre-employment checks, DBS eligibility decisions, suitability assessments, onboarding checks and ongoing safeguarding arrangements.

Where a role is subject to sector-specific statutory guidance, such as safeguarding guidance for schools, colleges or regulated training environments, the client or employer should ensure that their recruitment process follows the requirements that apply to them.

Depending on the role, sector and client requirements, safer recruitment activity may include:

• Confirming candidate identity and contact details.
• Reviewing employment history, CV details and relevant experience.
• Discussing gaps in employment or unclear career history where relevant.
• Checking qualifications, certificates and professional experience where provided.
• Recording right to work status where relevant.
• Recording DBS status where relevant to the role.
• Requesting or recording references where required by the recruitment process.
• Recording interview notes, suitability comments and candidate declarations where appropriate.
• Sharing relevant safer recruitment information with the client or employer at the appropriate stage.

The exact checks required will depend on the role, setting, level of responsibility, client requirements and applicable guidance or law.

Some roles may require a DBS check, including Basic, Standard, Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred List checks where legally eligible.

Educated Appointments Ltd may record DBS status information provided by a candidate or client, but the client or employer is responsible for confirming the correct level of check required for the role and for ensuring any DBS application is lawful and appropriate.

DBS checks must only be requested at the appropriate level where the role is eligible. Where there is uncertainty, clients should refer to official DBS eligibility guidance or take appropriate advice.

Candidates may be asked appropriate questions about their suitability for roles involving children, young people, adults at risk or regulated environments.

Where a candidate makes a disclosure that may be relevant to safeguarding, safer recruitment, criminal record checks, conduct or suitability, Educated Appointments Ltd will handle the information carefully and proportionately.

Relevant information may be discussed with the client or employer where it is necessary, lawful and appropriate for the recruitment process.

For roles where safer recruitment is relevant, references and employment history may form part of the recruitment process.

Educated Appointments Ltd may support the collection or recording of references where appropriate, but clients and employers remain responsible for deciding which references are required, whether references are satisfactory and whether any further checks are needed before appointment.

Where employment gaps, unexplained role changes or conflicting information arise, these should be explored proportionately and recorded where relevant.

Candidate documents may include CVs, formatted CVs, qualifications, right to work evidence, DBS information, references, interview preparation documents or other supporting records.

We aim to control access to sensitive documents carefully. Supporting documents should only be shared where there is a genuine recruitment, compliance, safer recruitment or offer-stage need.

Where an employer portal is used, clients may be able to see which selected documents are held on file. Download access to sensitive supporting documents should only be released where appropriate.

If a safeguarding, conduct or suitability concern is raised during recruitment, Educated Appointments Ltd will consider the information available and take appropriate action.

This may include:

• Recording the concern clearly and factually.
• Seeking clarification from the candidate where appropriate.
• Discussing relevant information with the client or employer where lawful and necessary.
• Pausing or ending a candidate submission where there is a serious unresolved concern.
• Refusing to progress a candidate where continuing would be inappropriate or unsafe.
• Escalating concerns to an appropriate client contact or safeguarding lead where relevant.

Educated Appointments Ltd is not a statutory safeguarding authority, but we will take concerns seriously and act responsibly within our role as a recruitment business.

We expect clients, employers and training providers to maintain their own safeguarding policies, safer recruitment procedures and pre-employment checking processes.

Clients should ensure that they:

• Understand the safeguarding duties that apply to their organisation and sector.
• Confirm the checks required for each role.
• Assess candidate suitability before appointment.
• Carry out any required DBS, barred list, prohibition, reference, identity, right to work or qualification checks.
• Provide candidates with relevant interview, onboarding and safeguarding information.
• Make final recruitment and appointment decisions based on appropriate evidence.

Safer recruitment must be handled fairly and proportionately. Candidate information should be considered in context and should relate to the role, setting, risk, legal requirements and client needs.

We aim to avoid unfair assumptions, discriminatory practice or disproportionate use of sensitive information.

Safeguarding and safer recruitment records can include sensitive personal data. We handle this information in line with our Data Protection & GDPR Policy and Candidate Privacy Notice.

Access to sensitive information should be limited to those who need it for recruitment, compliance, safer recruitment, legal or legitimate business reasons.

We may use AI-assisted tools to support recruitment administration, such as formatting CVs, summarising notes, drafting candidate profiles or comparing experience against vacancy requirements.

AI-assisted tools must not be used to make final safeguarding or suitability decisions. Any AI-assisted output should be reviewed by a human recruiter before it is used, shared or relied upon.

People working for or on behalf of Educated Appointments Ltd are expected to understand the importance of safeguarding and safer recruitment in the sectors we support.

We aim to maintain awareness of safeguarding, safer recruitment, data protection, equal opportunities and responsible recruitment practice.

We may review and update this statement from time to time to reflect changes in our business, recruitment processes, client requirements, law or safeguarding guidance.

If you have any questions about this statement, or if you want to raise a safeguarding or safer recruitment concern relating to Educated Appointments Ltd recruitment activity, contact:

Educated Appointments Ltd
Email: info@educatedappointments.co.uk

If there is an immediate risk of harm, concerns should be raised with the appropriate emergency service, statutory safeguarding service, local authority safeguarding team, designated safeguarding lead or responsible organisation.