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Appeal to schools on crime checks School criminal checks 'miss 44'
(about 5 hours later)
All local councils in Wales will be asked to ensure that everyone working with children has been checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). A council's review of its criminal checking system has found that 44 school workers, mostly teachers, have not been cleared to work with children.
The Welsh Local Government Association will act after it emerged Powys school staff were not cleared. Powys Council, which uncovered "weaknesses" in its procedures, said the majority were peripatetic teachers.
Everyone in contact with children in schools or colleges should be screened. It said 39 employed before the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) came into force in 2002 had been overlooked, and a further five had not been checked since then.
Welsh education minister Jane Davidson said she was "shocked" after Powys Council had found "weaknesses" in procedures. The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) is to contact all councils.
The council insisted staff still not screened for convictions involving children would not work unsupervised. Powys Council said it has has taken steps to ensure that no-one had unsupervised contact with children over the next three weeks while the necessary checks were completed.
It has also drafted in staff to help investigate. It was initially thought that up to 80 people had slipped through the net unchecked, but the council confirmed the official figure on Friday.
What have they done in course of a year to change things? Helen Mary Jones, Plaid Cymru AM I am shocked to hear that the appropriate checks have not been carried out Jane Davidson, education minister
Education Minister Jane Davidson said she was "shocked" by a situation which was "not acceptable" and reminded councils and schools of their obligations. It had earlier brought in extra staff "to make sure the review is carried as quickly as possible".
Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black said an Esytn report published in May 2006 had identified that schools and local education authorities were not following the correct procedures in insisting on CRB checks for non-teaching staff. The CRB runs checks for organisations which are required by law to vet people working in positions of trust, often with children.
In a survey of 28 schools spread across all 22 Welsh education authorities, only 11 confirmed that they vet all adults who have access to children. A spokesman for Powys Council said: "Following the council's analysis of its systems it can now confirm that there are five people who have been employed in schools since 2002 who are not compliant with current guidance.
Most of the remaining schools reported that visitors, including parent-helpers, were not left on their own with children. "Shortcomings with procedures have been found with a further 39 staff, who were employed prior to 2002.
However, schools where outside contractors provided catering and cleaning services were found to be uncertain as to whether the staff concerned had CRB clearance or not. "National changes in police checking procedures were introduced in 2002 to improve effectiveness and make the system more rigorous."
'Complacency' The spokesman said that majority of staff identified during the review were peripatetic teachers.
Mr Black said: "I am shocked that nine months after a report of this nature was published, and after the education minister took up the concerns raised by it with schools, that we still have a situation where adults can work with children in a school setting, without being checked." He added that the council had taken action to ensure no one had unsupervised contact with children until the checks were completed.
It is still unclear how many of the 125 schools in Powys are affected. Powys Council brought in extra staff to help with the review
A council spokesman said no-one who had not been checked would work with children unsupervised until the investigation was completed. On Thursday, Welsh education minister Jane Davidson said she was "shocked" and said it was "not acceptable".
The council will confirm later how many employees had been overlooked, but it is believed to be around 80. "On 20 March I will also be bringing forward legislation to make enhanced CRB checks and other pre-appointment checks mandatory across the school workforce," she said.
Helen Mary Jones, Plaid Cymru AM for mid and west Wales, accused Powys council of "complacency" and said she would raise the issue with Ms Davidson. This was welcomed by the WLGA, which said it would bring "clarity and consistency" to the system.
Referring to a review by social services inspectors published last February which called for "urgent" improvements in children's services in Powys, Mrs Jones said the CRB checks issue illustrated that the county didn't understand "the culture of child protection." The local government organisation is to contact all local councils in Wales to ensure that everyone working with children has been checked by the CRB.
"It's alright for the minister to say we give the guidance, but they knew a year ago they had in Powys a county council that wasn't implementing guidance," she said. Steve Thomas, WLGA chief executive said: "All local authorities in Wales have a duty to promote and protect the well being of children and young people under current legislation.
"What have they done in course of a year to change things?" "We are contacting all local authorities regarding the procedures they have in place and outlining the current legislative framework. We are satisfied from those already contacted that rigorous procedures exist."