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POLICY INFORMATION
| Version | 1.0 |
|---|---|
| Last Approved | May 2026 |
| Next Review Due | May 2027 |
| Last Updated | 21/08/26 |
| Policy Owner | ‣ ‣ |
| Applies To | All Staff |
| Approval Authority | Paint Pots Preschool & Nursery |
| Staff Acknowledgement Required | Yes |
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Paint Pots Preschool & Nursery Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. As an employer of childcare workers, Paint Pots is legally required to ensure that all employees who require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check have an appropriate DBS check completed before commencing unsupervised work with children.
As an organisation using the DBS to assess the suitability of individuals for positions of trust, Paint Pots complies fully with the EYFS Framework – Suitable People and the DBS Code of Practice regarding the correct handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of Disclosure Information.
Paint Pots also complies with its obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and all other relevant legislation relating to the secure handling of personal data.
All employees and volunteers must have an appropriate enhanced criminal record and barred list check completed before employment begins.
A DBS certificate is issued directly to the applicant and remains their personal property. Paint Pots will not retain copies of DBS certificates, although all ID will be copied and retained in their staff file and kept for 2 years after employment ends.
Employees and volunteers must present their certificate to their manager, who will record the relevant information and assess any disclosures that may affect suitability to work with children.
Where information is disclosed on a DBS certificate, an appropriate risk assessment will be undertaken to determine whether the individual is suitable to work in the nursery and in a position of trust.
An enhanced criminal records check and barred list check will be obtained for every person aged 16 and over including all volunteers who works directly with children.
An additional criminal records check (or checks if more than one country) will also be made for anyone who has lived or worked abroad. Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK
All staff, prospective staff and volunteers must disclose any information which may affect their suitability to work with children including, but not limited to, arrests, charges, convictions, cautions, court orders, reprimands and warnings (whether received before or during their employment at the setting). (Exceptions include: convictions or cautions that are protected for the purposes of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.)
No staff member or volunteer, whose suitability has not been checked, including through a criminal records and barred list check, will not have unsupervised contact with children being cared for.
All information about staff qualifications and the identity checks, vetting processes and references that have been completed (including the criminal records check reference number, the date a check was obtained and details of who at the setting obtained it) will be recorded and kept on file.
If a person is barred from working with children and currently volunteers in a supervised role, they will not be able to continue working in regulated activity, people are placed on the children’s barred list because they pose a risk of harm to children.