Jump to content
Home
Forum
Articles
About Us
Tapestry

Police reprimand


 Share

Recommended Posts

How would you react if a new member of staff's DBS check showed a police reprimand for assault / battery?

This has happened and I'm not sure what to do.

I haven't yet spoken to the member of staff so I don't know the details. The person in question is 18 and a reprimand is given to those under 18.

I'd appreciate your views.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had this situation a few years ago. I would suggest you sit down and talk about it and take it from there.

 

I asked the person to tell me about the situation and it turned out she had defended her cousin (a boy of the same age) when s group of four boys were intimidating him. She openly told me she was the feisty one in the family and slapped one of the boys when she was 14 and that she had learnt her lesson.

 

Hope this helps

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for that. I'm all for giving people a chance and realise that we all make mistakes and do things we later regret. But I have to say that a reprimand for violence does make me uneasy. You're right, I will talk to the person tomorrow and ask her to explain the situation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too have been in this situation and i must say i was quite surprised as she seemed so quiet and reserved! Anyway the big difference for me was that she warned me it would show up so i wasnt shocked when it arrived. I think due to her honesty and the references i received for her helped me make the decision to continue with my intention of employing her. A decision i do not regret, she is still working for 3 years later with no problems at all :1b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess what you have to do is determine whether the details of the activity that resulted in the reprimand makes her unsuitable to work with children. You need to make a judgment about whether she is likely to display this kind of behaviour in the setting, or whether this was an isolated incident or at least relates to a period in her life which is now over.

I had a staff member whose CRB turned up a caution for a bit of teenaged tomfoolery and because under normal circumstances it would be considered 'spent' she didn't declare it so it was a complete shock for her when it showed up. I employed her and never regretted it for one second.

Provided the person is considered suitable to work with children and is not considered a risk or a danger in the setting, I think everyone should be given a second chance. Every situation is different though, and a really frank conversation is necessary to help you determine whether she is suitable or not. If she has previously worked with children then her previous employers are presumably aware of her background and so you would also be able to follow up her references to identify any potential problems.

Good luck - such a difficult decision to call.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I think this needs to be assessed on a 'case by case' process. You need to talk with her.

 

We have a young girl with us very similar to Pimms scenario - it turned out the 'injured party' knew how to work the law to his benefit, whilst attempting to ruin someone career.

In our case embarrassingly backed up by a children's visit from the local PC........ who recognised the staff member :oxD

xx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. (Privacy Policy)