By Dan Furness, CIS Head of Safeguarding and Well-being

 

 

This article addresses the most frequently asked questions we receive from schools in our membership community about safer recruitment. And, because we receive so many questions on this topic, we’ll be offering a virtual learning session on 28 October 2025 when I’ll facilitate a deep dive into International Safer Recruitment.

 

 

As a starting point, the guidance shared here is aligned with the International Taskforce on Child Protection Safer Recruitment Checklist. When reviewing the advice presented in this article, it is important and necessary to consider your own school’s legal framework and regulatory obligations. If your school’s regulatory environment is less stringent than those described in the checklist, you are strongly encouraged to consider how you can apply leading practices in your community, while abiding local laws.

 

1. Why should schools use an application form and not accept candidate CVs/resumes?

Schools should use application forms in place of CVs or resumes for the following reasons:

• A CV or resume tells you what the applicant wants you to know, not what you need to know as an employer.
• CVs and resumes can be designed to hide or omit information that would be clearly communicated on an application form, such as gaps in employment or reasons for leaving a school. Application forms require this information and highlight gaps for further exploration.
• Application forms can be designed around the selection criteria, but CVs and resumes may not clearly demonstrate how someone meets these criteria.
• Candidates can be given information about criminal record disclosure as part of an application form that they won’t receive if they provide a CV.
• Candidates can be required to sign a declaration that the information provided on an application form is true and complete.

 

2. Why does guidance recommend that some school references should be contacted before an interview, and what should schools do if an applicant does not want to inform the school they are leaving until offered the new position?

We recommend that schools seek some references for shortlisted candidates before the interview so that they can confirm the validity and consistency of information provided in the application form and the applicant’s suitability to work with children. If any outstanding concerns or queries arise, these can then be explored further with the referee and then asked of the applicant during the interview. It’s crucial that schools also check that the reference is provided by someone who would be aware of any concerns or allegations made against the candidate.

There are, however, many instances where schools are unable to obtain references before an interview either due to logistical constraints or an inability to contact the referee. In these situations, schools should make it clear to the candidate that they may be recalled for a further interview should information arise through checking references that requires further discussion.

While we advise applicants to have open conversations with their school leaders should they be seeking alternative employment, we do recognize that for some staff, this is not always possible. Where candidates ask that referees from their current school are not contacted before they are offered a new position, schools have several options:

• To advise the candidate to have an open and honest conversation with their current school’s leaders before the recruitment process proceeds.
• To ask for previous employment references before the interviews and then obtain the current school references afterwards, communicating to the applicant that they may be recalled for further interviews if necessary.
• To obtain references after they have conditionally offered the candidate a position, acknowledging that any concerns or queries arising from references may result in further interviews or the offer of employment being rescinded. In our experience, this is not a favourable option for either the candidate or the school, as it can lengthen the recruitment process and leave the candidate with no offer of employment at a late stage in the international recruitment season.

 

3. What is the recommended practice for criminal background checks, and what can schools do if they can't obtain a background check from a country where an applicant has worked?

Recommended practice is that schools should conduct criminal record checks that include, where possible, countries where applicants have lived for 6 months or more within the previous 10 years (including their home country, if appropriate). ‘Cautions’ or ‘words of warning’ are investigated further.

We recommend that when conducting background checks, schools adopt a ‘waterfall’ approach for each instance when they cannot obtain a check from a specific country where a candidate has been employed. This approach means that schools enhance their safer recruitment checks with the following:

• request more references from schools or institutions where the candidate has worked in the country where a background check cannot be obtained, and ensure that these references are verbally verified;
• conduct deeper online and media check of the candidate in the country where the background check cannot be obtained, including doing this in the local language, and using key terms such as ‘abuse', 'allegation’, ‘investigation’, etc.;
• ensure they have checked any prohibition or barring lists of the country where the candidate qualified as a teacher or in another related profession;
• ask the candidate to confirm in writing that, to the best of their knowledge, they have not had an allegation made against them and no outstanding police investigations are underway. Schools need to check their safer recruitment procedures with their local legal regulations as in some contexts it can be discriminatory to request criminal background declarations before shortlisting candidates.

If you are struggling to obtain a background check or prohibition and barring list, please reach out to us at CIS for assistance. Here is a resource that can support schools with this process:

• Criminal records checks for overseas applicants; This list has been prepared by the UK government but is applicable for all to use and provides a list of criminal background checks by country from A-Z.

 

4. How can schools ensure the Head of School approves a reference given for staff in their school, and why is this important?

We recommend that schools adopt a clear policy to ensure all references are either checked or approved by the Head of School. Schools should train all staff on this as part of their annual safeguarding refresher training, especially for staff in management positions where providing references is part of their responsibilities.

This is important because, aligned with the ITFCP Protocol on Managing Allegations of Child Abuse by Educators and Other Adults, all allegations should be reported to the Head of School. In many cases, the allegations management team will be small to ensure strict confidentiality is maintained and local labour law is adhered to. In these situations, if a middle leader is asked for a reference, they may not be aware that an allegation has been made.

 

5. What is recommended practice when conducting safer recruitment of volunteers and ancillary school staff, such as third-party employed cleaners or bus drivers?

The nature of volunteering in schools is such that safer recruitment practice will be diverse and needs to respond to the frequency and level of unsupervised access to students. Where volunteers are not in school on a regular basis and will not be left unsupervised with children, then it is unlikely they will need to have the same safer recruitment procedures as other paid employees.

However, if volunteers are in school regularly or will have unsupervised access to students, then the following safer recruitment procedures are recommended:

• they are provided with and required to read and follow the school's staff code of conduct and safeguarding policy;
• they receive safeguarding induction training relevant to their role;
• they complete an application or registration form;
• their references are obtained in alignment with the school's safer recruitment policy;
• a face-to-face interview is conducted, including safeguarding questions about their motivation to work with or near children;
• pre-employment checks are carried out similar to those for employed staff, including a criminal background disclosure and check; and
• a risk assessment is undertaken to determine what other safer recruitment checks are necessary.

Ancillary school staff who are employed by a third party but who will be on campus regularly and have unsupervised contact with students, should be screened using the safer recruitment procedures in place for all directly contracted staff. In many cases, schools outsource safer recruitment to the third party who employs the ancillary staff; however, schools still need to maintain oversight of their process and conduct spot checks to ensure the necessary checks are in place.

 

6. When do I ask for a criminal records disclosure, and why should I do this if I am already planning on obtaining criminal background checks?

It’s important to ask a candidate to submit a signed disclosure of their criminal record only after they have been shortlisted for an interview. This is not done before shortlisting to ensure that their criminal history is not used to discriminate against them being shortlisted for a role.

It is recommended to provide the candidate with an opportunity to disclose their criminal history before the interview. This is done for the following reasons:

• to deter unsuitable applicants from proceeding further with the recruitment process;
• to ensure candidates are aware that a criminal background check will be completed; and
• to allow candidates the opportunity to explain their criminal history in the interview, rather than wait for this to be discovered when the background checks are completed.

It is important that, regardless of what is disclosed before and during the interview process, schools should always conduct background checks to the fullest extent possible. In some cases, a candidate may only partially disclose their criminal history.