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Why vetting is required
Many surveys have shown that over 30% of applicants deliberately falsify or misrepresent significant personal details. These include:
• Falsified qualifications
• Misleading reasons for leaving their last employment
• Adverse credit history
• Criminal record
Time and cost are fundamental reasons as to why screening or vetting policies do not exist but the potential consequences can be serious to organisations:
• Inadequate performance
• Staff turnover
• Re-recruitment and training
• Decrease in profitability
• Effectiveness hindered
• Legal obligations may lead to an offence being committed by the organisation
It is unfortunate that the media tends to address high profile, sensitive organisations, mainly dealing with children, in order to sell their publications, leaving the more established occupations, such as, medical and finance out of the spotlight. However, the same legislation applies under Part V Police Act 1997 and the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975.
In addition to these Acts, employment and introduction agencies fall under revised, stringent legislation within the Conduct of of Employment Agencies & Business Regulations 2002 and The Employment Agencies Act 1973. Once again, this is all on our web site for you to view in full. Briefly, the onus is now upon the agency to show they have verified the identity of the candidate and performed all the legislative procedures open to them in order to demonstrate to the eventual employer that the person is fit and proper for their employment in a position of trust.
Failure to do this impacts on your Professional Indemnity Insurance, the insurance of the employer's premises and attracts both criminal and civil action should an infringement occur, to name but a few. In this society of 'blame and claim', it would be unwise to ignore the avenues available.
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