Could it happen to you? Hiring someone who shouldn’t work with children.

In a recent Safeguarding training day my team and I were exploring the similarities between perpetrators of abuse and their public persona. There were so many that had been described as charismatic, larger that life characters who had strong personalities that dominated their environments.

They certainly didn’t have the word abuser on their forehead!

Just look at this week, the guilty plea of BBC news presenter, Huw Edwards to 3 counts of making indecent images of children.

He was a public personality, trusted to deliver the news that the Queen had passed away and the 3rd highest paid employee of the BBC.

When we talk about Safer Recruitment you might think about taking up references, completing your police checks, but do you think about how the interviewee made you feel? If so give that a thought before your next interview.

Reports in the media have suggested that Huw Edwards had a difficult personality and that others had had concerns about his behaviour in the workplace and were discussing amongst themselves. His power was his reputation and his status in the organisation he worked.

Some people who don’t have status with you, and aren’t employed in senior positions, (yet) are very charismatic at interview and will want to persuade you that they are the right hire.

They will be charming you and aiming to convince you of their qualities. They will be strengthened when they see you positively responding to their cues.

Are you someone who could ‘fall’ for their charisma? Could their motives for joining your setting be to have access to children?

The serious case review into the crimes of Vanessa George talks about how she was very influential in the setting she managed and that staff were confused as to who the employer actually was.

Strong whistleblowing procedures and staff knowing who to raise concerns with. If the concern is regarding the DSL, who then, and why it is so important to you the employer that they know how to do this.

As an employer we can view candidates with the lens of why do you want to work here, and when we have hired someone who we have concerns about, we raise those concerns with our DSL.

We are one of the few HR Consultancies in the UK, that specialise in supporting Day Nurseries, Pre-schools and Out of School Clubs, for a free discovery call as to how we can assist you use this link.