Criteria for Screening Applications

POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR ALL APPLICANTS REGARDING THE RECRUITMENT OF EX- OFFENDERS

1. Introduction

Reports investigating the abuse of children (e.g. Hunt Report, Clothier Report and the Health Service Circular HSC 1998/212 Children’s Safeguards Review: Choosing with Care) have recommended the need for more rigorous selection procedures in courses involving substantial access to children and other vulnerable groups. There is also a need to ensure the selection of applicants who are capable of fulfilling the professional/statutory requirements associated with the respective programmes.

Northumbria University actively promotes equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential and welcomes applications from a wide range of applicants including those with criminal records. The University selects all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.

2. The Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS)

The Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly the CRB), an executive agency of the Home Office, has been set up to help organisations make safer recruitment decisions. By providing access to criminal record information the DBS will help organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors and educational institutions identify candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially that involving contact with children or other vulnerable members of society.

Certain courses within the University require their students to have been screened by means of a ‘Disclosure’ obtained from the DBS. A Disclosure is an impartial and confidential document that details an individual’s criminal record and where appropriate, details of those who are banned from working with children. The DBS will carry out a criminal record check for an individual drawing on four primary sources of information:

 Police National Computer (PNC)  Local Police Force Records  Department of Health  Department for Education and Skills

According to the nature of the course and its placement requirements information will be drawn from the PNC alone or from every source. This defines “Disclosure” and constitutes a national standard throughout England and Wales.

3. Registered Body

Northumbria University is a Registered Body with the DBS. Information provided on any Disclosure is both sensitive and confidential. It is obviously important that anyone within an organisation who is party to that information should handle it in an appropriately sensitive and confidential fashion. In becoming a Registered Body the University must adhere to the DBS Code of Practice

The University has nominated members of staff who will be responsible for handling the Disclosure process:

Lead Signatory: Director of Human Resources, Northumbria University

Counter Signatories: Amy Brooks, Manager Administration Services, Academic Registry Muriel Campion, Associate School Registrar, School of Health, Education & Community Studies Jessica Greenlees, Head of Student and Programme Administration, Academic Registry

of 4 The above named have also been subject to Disclosure and have been approved by the DBS.

For the purposes of online disclosure applications Atlantic Data act as the registered body and their staff countersign the DBS applications.

4. Disclosure Process

.01 Following an offer of a place on a course requiring Disclosure, the applicant will be informed in writing of the need to apply for a Disclosure. The University will contact the applicant and invite them to a DBS application event.

.02 The applicant will complete the application form online with member of the DBS Co- ordination team. For this purpose they will need to provide documents to verify their identity, at least one from the following:

 Passport  Driving License  Birth Certificate  Marriage Certificate

Further verification of address is required by providing two of the following:

 Recent Utility Bill  Recent Credit Card Statement  Recent Bank Statement  Recent Mortgage Statement  Recent Insurance Statement

Only original documents should be provided; photocopies will not be accepted. Documents will be checked and returned to the applicant.

.03 The DBS impose a charge of £44.00 plus an admin fee of £5.60 for an Enhanced Disclosure, which is reviewed on a yearly basis. In certain cases this cost has to be met by the applicant. The applicant should be notified of this before the application event and provision is made to pay the cost online by credit or debit card, during the event.

.04 When the DBS have completed all their checks, they will forward a copy of the Disclosure document to both the applicant and the University.

.06 Where a Disclosure indicates a criminal record for an applicant, the University will write to the individual concerned. The individual will be required to provide a written statement as to the offence(s) that have been declared against their name.

.07 The written statement along with other supporting information e.g. UCAS/NMAS/ SWAS/ GTTR application form will then be considered by the Disclosure Panel. The Panel will then decide whether the offer of a place should be Confirmed, Withdrawn or whether a Re- interview is required.

.08 The applicant will be informed of the outcome of the Disclosure Panel in writing only.

.09 Where an applicant needs to be re-interviewed, the Chair of the Disclosure Panel will inform the candidate of the interview arrangements. Applicants will be informed in writing of the outcome of the re-interview; those applicants who are withdrawn will be given reasons in the outcome letter.

5. The University Disclosure Panel (identified as ‘Disclosure Panel or Panel’ in this document)

A University Disclosure Panel has been established within the University. Members are representatives of the courses requiring “Disclosure”. The Panel has the responsibility for assessing the suitability of applicants whose Disclosure contains information regarding criminal offences. These offences will be assessed against pre-determined criteria (Section 6) and a decision made as to whether an application should be Confirmed, Withdrawn or whether a Re-

of 4 Interview is required. If a Re-Interview is required Guidelines for the Re-Interview Panel are available (Section 7).

Disclosure Panel membership is as follows:

Core members:

 Professor Kath McCourt, Dean, School of Health, Community and Education Studies (Chair)  Joanne Bennett, Principal Lecturer, Post-qualifying and Post-graduate, School of Health, Community and Education Studies  Alison Carrick, Principal Lecturer, Education and Social Care, School of Health, Community and Education Studies  Ray Hayes, Senior Lecturer, Pre-registration Health, School of Health, Community and Education Studies  Dr. Helen Roberts, Principal Lecturer, Education and Social Care, School of Health, Community and Education Studies  John Unsworth, Academic Head, Pre-registration Health, School of Health, Community and Education Studies

If not already represented by the above Panel membership, significant others i.e. an Employer representative as well as University representatives from the relevant Disciplines under consideration will be co-opted onto the Panel to meet Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements e.g. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), General Social Care Council (GSCC) and the General Teaching Council for England (GTC).

Quorum: Minimum of 3 core members must be present and Panel must include representation from the discipline applicable to the applicants under discussion.

The Disclosure Panel provides a means of ensuring consistency of Disclosure assessments and creates a knowledge base/expertise in this area within the University.

6 Criteria for Assessment of Criminal Offences

Category A:

Applicants with major criminal convictions including any of the following will normally be rejected irrespective of time lapse between conviction and application.

Evidence of any criminal offence involving violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, sexual offences pornographic offences, or dealing in drugs.

Category B:

Applicants with minor criminal offences (convictions and or cautions) within nine years of application including any of the following may be rejected without interview or may be interviewed before a final decision is made.

Drug related offences, offences showing evidence of lack of honesty, trust-worthiness and driving with excess alcohol.

The Panel will consider the seriousness of the offence, the number of offences, the period between the last offence and application, the pattern of convictions, changes in circumstances since conviction and whether the offence has been disclosed by the applicant or via CRB Disclosure.

Category C:

Applicants with minor criminal offences (Category B ) more than nine years since conviction/ caution. Provided the applicant has disclosed the offence, applicants with evidence covering any of the following may be accepted or invited for interview before a final decision is made. A single minor offence showing dishonesty, untrustworthiness e.g. petty theft, fraud, drunk and disorderly, driving offences (caution/conviction more than nine years).

of 4 7. Guidelines for Re-interview Panel

The aim is to ascertain the facts surrounding the criminal offences, any effects the offences may have upon obtaining practice placements for the student and to clarify any points raised during the Disclosure Panel discussion.

It is not intended to subject the applicant to a second pre-course selection interview.

The re-interview panel will consist of appropriate members of the relevant discipline and an appropriate professional manager/representative.

The attitude of the applicant to the offence(s) will be taken into account.

The appropriate pro-forma will be completed.

The outcome of the interview will be communicated to the applicant in writing.

8. Late Applicants to Courses

Late applicants to courses may be asked to complete a Self-Declaration Form in respect of criminal offences. This will enable an interim decision to be made regarding suitability prior to commencement of the course. This decision will be subject to verification by the CRB of the information provided.

Late applicants will still be required to apply for Disclosure and the above procedures will be followed. Should information received from the DBS differ from that declared by the applicant on the self-declaration form, the applicant may be required to withdraw from the course.

N.B. A student will not be “eligible” to commence placement until the University has receipt of an individual’s DBS Enhanced Disclosure and it has been assessed and verified as “suitable” as outlined in this policy/procedure.

9. Storage and Retention of Documentation

Please refer to separate policy document.

10. Data Protection Action 1998

The DBS has a Privacy Statement stating that it is fully committed to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998.

This and other DBS documents can be viewed on their website: http://www.crb.gov.uk/

Northumbria University is also fully committed to comply with the Data Protection Action 1998. Further information can be viewed on the website: http://online.northumbria.ac.uk/index.htm

11. Contacts

Further information regarding Disclosure can be obtained from the following:

Disclosure and Barring Service PO Box 110 Liverpool L3 6ZZ Tel: 0870 90 90 844 www.disclosure.gov.uk

DBS Co-ordination Team Northumbria University Ellison Terrace Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST Tel: (0191) 227 3804 or (0191) 227 3285 www.northumbria.ac.uk

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