Nursery World - 'Passports' for childcare staff

The UK's largest teacher recruitment agency has called for the Government to introduce a central register of all childcare workers, where every individual who has been cleared to work with children would hold a 'passport', renewable on an annual basis. The up-to-date register would be on the internet. Ian Penman, chairman of TimePlan, wrote to home secretary David Blunkett last week to urge the introduction of a new registration system similar to that used in the US. TimePlan is the agency that allowed Canadian teacher Amy Gehring to continue working in schools after police warnings that she posed a risk to children.

Ian Penman, chairman of TimePlan, wrote to home secretary David Blunkett last week to urge the introduction of a new registration system similar to that used in the US. TimePlan is the agency that allowed Canadian teacher Amy Gehring to continue working in schools after police warnings that she posed a risk to children.

Mr Penman wrote, 'We need to move beyond the "blame culture", to create a transparent system in which parents can have confidence.'

A spokesperson for TimePlan said the agency continued to support the idea of a central register, despite subsequent news the Criminal Records Bureau is speeding up checks on school staff (see page 4).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included