On 12 May 2006, new regulations came into force which make it mandatory to obtain enhanced CRB disclosures for all new appointments to the schools workforce and those who have been out of the workforce for more than three months. This change is part of an ongoing process by the Government, to tighten current vetting and barring procedures to ensure that the system is as robust as possible.

The regulations apply to all maintained schools and include local authority appointed staff. The school workforce includes anyone employed by the school, including those employed to deliver extended services. Regulations have also been amended to ensure that these changes apply to staff working in Pupil Referral Units in addition to other settings. The regulations came into force on 12 May 2006. Independent schools are also required to undertake CRB checks under the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003.

The Government is also in the process of formulating regulations that will make CRB checks mandatory for new teaching staff in further-education institutions.

However, CRB checks are only part of the process. Heads, governing bodies and local authorities are expected to follow recruitment good-practice guidance, including undertaking mandatory List 99 checks and verifying references. This will ensure that employers make decisions about appointments in full knowledge of the facts of whether or not a potential employee has previously worked in the education sector and is suitable to take up a particular appointment.

Training package
The DCSF and the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services have developed the Safer Recruitment online training package to provide schools with useful strategies for helping to identify unsuitable people and for reviewing and enhancing schools' recruitment and selection practices so that they include child-protection issues as an integral part of the process. It also emphasises the need for continuing awareness about possible abusers.

The full training package is available free to the head teacher and one nominated governor from every maintained school and non-maintained special school in England. It is also available free to two members of staff from every independent school and every local authority in England. It is expected that those undertaking the training will cascade key messages to colleagues back at their school or local authority.

A public version of the training with the core elements is also available from the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services website.

Guidance
Existing guidance is being updated to reflect the new changes and also to provide clarity where necessary. However, current guidance still applies, with the key exception that CRB checks are now mandatory.