At Certus Education, safeguarding is at the heart of every placement we make. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of safer recruitment, ensuring that every education professional we supply has been thoroughly assessed, vetted, and approved before entering a school environment.

Our compliance framework is built around current statutory guidance, industry best practice, and robust internal procedures designed to protect children, young people, schools, and educational settings.

Schools partnering with Certus Education can be confident that safeguarding is embedded throughout our recruitment process. We are committed to:

• Maintaining rigorous safeguarding and compliance standards
• Conducting comprehensive pre-employment screening and suitability assessments
• Adhering to the latest Department for Education (DfE) requirements
• Operating in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance
• Providing fully vetted education professionals who are suitable to work with children and young people

Our aim is to give schools complete confidence that every candidate supplied has been carefully assessed for both professional competence and safeguarding suitability.

Before any candidate is approved for work, they must successfully complete a detailed recruitment and compliance programme.

Every applicant undergoes a thorough screening process with an experienced education consultant. During this stage we review:

• Career history and educational experience
• Role suitability and qualifications
• Availability and placement preferences
• Understanding of safeguarding responsibilities
• Professional conduct and expectations

Only candidates who meet our initial standards progress to the next stage.

Candidates are required to attend a formal registration interview, either remotely or face-to-face.

The interview process enables us to:

• Verify identity and employment history
• Assess communication skills and professionalism
• Evaluate suitability for working with children
• Discuss safeguarding awareness and responsibilities
• Review all relevant documentation

As part of the registration process, candidates must demonstrate:

• Appropriate spoken and written English skills
• A professional and responsible attitude
• Awareness of safeguarding responsibilities within schools
• Commitment to maintaining safe learning environments

Certus Education completes extensive pre-employment checks before any educator is cleared for placement.

These checks may include:

• Right to Work verification
• Photographic identification
• Proof of current address
• National Insurance confirmation
• Change of name documentation (where applicable)
• Qualification verification
• Enhanced DBS certification
• Overseas criminal record checks (where required)
• Safeguarding training certification
• Prevent Duty training verification

All documents are reviewed and validated by our Compliance Team before clearance is granted.

Safeguarding extends beyond document collection.

As part of our recruitment procedures we also:

• Review full employment histories
• Investigate and record any unexplained career gaps
• Conduct safeguarding-focused interview questioning
• Assess candidate values and professional conduct
• Verify previous experience relevant to the education sector
• Request additional information where necessary to ensure suitability

Where concerns arise during the vetting process, further investigation will be undertaken before any decision is made regarding clearance.

Once all required documentation has been received, our dedicated Compliance Team carries out a final review.

This includes:

• Obtaining professional references
• Verifying referee authenticity
• Comparing references against employment history and registration records
• Resolving outstanding compliance matters
• Confirming all statutory safeguarding requirements have been satisfied

Candidates who fail to meet our safeguarding expectations will not be approved for placement.

Safeguarding is not a one-off process.

Certus Education continues to monitor compliance throughout a candidate's engagement with us and works closely with schools to address any concerns quickly and effectively.

We are committed to maintaining high standards of professional conduct, safeguarding awareness, and ongoing compliance across every placement.

To support transparency and provide schools with clear safeguarding records, Certus Education maintains a secure compliance management system that tracks all candidate vetting information.

Only candidates who have successfully completed all required checks and met our suitability standards are approved for work.

Once a booking is confirmed, the school will receive written confirmation including:

• Candidate name
• Role or specialist subject area
• Candidate photograph
• Compliance and vetting summary
• Relevant safeguarding documentation where required

This provides schools with a clear audit trail and assurance that all necessary recruitment checks have been completed before the individual arrives on site.

Our compliance records confirm completion of relevant safeguarding and suitability checks, including:

• Identity verification
• Date of birth confirmation
• Right to Work status
• Full employment history review
• Enhanced DBS details and Update Service checks where applicable
• Qualification verification
• Professional reference checks
• Medical fitness declarations
• Online searches conducted in line with safeguarding guidance
• National Insurance verification
• Overseas checks where required
• Change of name evidence where applicable
• Prohibition checks where relevant to the role

Certus Education takes its safeguarding responsibilities seriously and will only place candidates once all required checks have been satisfactorily completed.

Our robust recruitment procedures help schools meet their safeguarding obligations while ensuring pupils benefit from safe, professional, and appropriately vetted education staff.

For further information regarding our safeguarding, compliance, or vetting procedures, please contact our Compliance Team by emailing compliance@certuseducation.co.uk , who will be happy to assist or visit our policies page.