Managing leavers and referring information

Learn how managing leavers and sharing safeguarding and conduct information with others contributes to creating a safer environment for people drawing on care and support.

Courageously, fairly and compassionately managing leavers, and applying a safeguarding mindset to the referring and sharing of information is important. It helps you to:

• capture and record all information relevant to the employment and conduct of an individual at the point they exit your employment in a way that enables it to be shared at a future date, if required. Identify when, where and to whom it is relevant to make a referral when staff leave to provide DBS or other organisations with detailed information and fulfil your duty to safeguard others

• ensure individuals are aware of the information that will be shared about their conduct and provide an opportunity for discussion

• show your wider commitment to safeguarding beyond your own workplace and that you’re not relying on others to make the referral – if you don’t, who will?

Ways to apply a safeguarding mindset

Here's some tips on how to apply a safeguarding mindset when managing leavers and referring information.

1. Put in place an exit process for capturing and recording information relevant to the individual’s employment at the point they leave you, from those with first-hand knowledge of their conduct and performance.
2. Ensure investigations and disciplinaries relevant to conduct and safeguarding are carried out and concluded even where individuals resign before the end of the process.
3. Ensure leaders understand the importance of and are committed to sharing and referring relevant conduct information to safeguard and protect children and adults.
4. Put in place a policy for sharing information and train managers and staff on who and how safeguarding and conduct information can be effectively, fairly and safely shared, both internally and externally.
5. Share relevant information about conduct or safeguarding concerns of agency staff with recruitment and temporary staff agencies in line with agreed protocols.
6. Take responsibility for referring relevant information about conduct or safeguarding concerns where staff have or may have harmed children or adults to the DBS, the police, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for Children or Safeguarding Team for Adults and professional bodies. Don’t assume others will.
7. Share relevant conduct information and safeguarding concerns with other employers when providing references as part of a commitment to safeguarding.
8. Put in place effective, UKGDPR compliant systems for recording decisions and the rationale for sharing information with other organisations or individuals.

Resources

Here are some resources to support you manage people who leave, applying a safeguarding mindset to the referring and sharing of safeguarding and conduct information.

Example exit process and form

On pages 35-40 of the Better Hiring Toolkit, you’ll find an example exit process that you can use alongside an employee exit form template to effectively capture and record conduct information when people leave.

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