Nursery World - Unvetted nursery staff are allowed

Early years settings in England have been told by the Government that they can still employ staff 'with discretion' if their Disclosure checks have not yet been issued by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The Department for Education and Skills said earlier this week that as long as any unvetted staff were not left alone with children and were supervised by other staff, they could work with children in day nurseries and playgroups. But this proviso did not apply to childminders because they often look after children on their own.

The Department for Education and Skills said earlier this week that as long as any unvetted staff were not left alone with children and were supervised by other staff, they could work with children in day nurseries and playgroups. But this proviso did not apply to childminders because they often look after children on their own.

The DfES confirmed that this policy still stood after last week's U-turn by education secretary Estelle Morris allowing teachers to work in schools before their Disclosure checks had been issued by the CRB.

The guidance was welcomed by one playgroup in Blandford, Dorset, which had feared it would be unable to open at the start of term on 9 September.

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