How We Keep Children Safe at Nursery: DBS Checks and Safer Recruitment

A message to families

The safety and wellbeing of every child in our care will always be our highest priority.

We know there have been several national conversations recently about safeguarding in early years settings, and we understand the worries these can raise for parents.

When you leave your child with us, you are placing an enormous amount of trust in our teams, and we never take that responsibility for granted.

If you are choosing a nursery, you may reasonably want to know what checks are carried out on the people who will care for your child. Are references checked? What DBS checks are required? What happens after someone has been employed?

We want families to understand exactly what happens at Tommies.

Safeguarding requirements across the early years sector have continued to strengthen. In September 2026, new changes have further strengthened the checks and expectations surrounding people working and volunteering with children.

But at Tommies Childcare, safer recruitment has never been about completing a single check. It begins before someone joins us and continues throughout their employment.

How our recruitment and selection process helps decide who can work with children

Our Safer Recruitment Policy sets out a structured recruitment process designed to help us assess not only whether somebody has the skills and experience for a role, but also their suitability to work with children.

Candidates complete an application form detailing their experience and employment history and take part in a structured interview. Our interviews include specific questions around safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare, and candidates applying for roles working directly with children also complete a work trial to help us further assess their suitability.

References are an important part of our safer recruitment practices and are sought for all successful candidates, irrespective of their previous experience or the role they are applying for.

We seek references covering an applicant’s employment history and, where somebody has previously worked with children, young people or vulnerable groups, we will, wherever reasonably practicable, obtain a reference from the employer or organisation where that work was undertaken.

References specifically help us to consider an individual’s suitability for employment and, where relevant, their suitability to work with children. They can also help identify any safeguarding concerns we need to be aware of.

We do not accept character references as part of our recruitment process.

What pre-employment checks do nursery staff have?

All new employees must have the appropriate Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. Where a role constitutes regulated activity with children, the appropriate Children’s Barred List information must also be considered.

Where somebody is already registered with the DBS Update Service, we do not simply accept that they have a DBS certificate.

We check that the existing certificate is at the correct level and for the appropriate workforce, that it contains Children’s Barred List information where required, verify the person’s identity and undertake the appropriate Update Service status check.

Our policy is clear: an employee cannot start employment with Tommies Childcare until the required DBS check has been completed and reviewed.

The requirements also extend to volunteers. We ensure volunteers receive the appropriate Enhanced DBS check and, where their activities constitute regulated activity with children, this includes the appropriate Children’s Barred List check.

Why criminal records checks are only part of safer recruitment

A DBS check is an important safeguarding measure, but it can only ever form one part of safer recruitment.

That is why our recruitment process brings together application information, employment history, references, identity and qualification checks, safeguarding questions, interviews, work trials where appropriate, DBS checks and senior management oversight.

Before a start date is finalised, our recruitment documentation is checked and signed off by senior management. We will not compromise our safer recruitment requirements simply to allow somebody to start work sooner.

This layered approach is important because safeguarding children is not about relying on one document or one check. It is about building a wider picture of somebody’s suitability to work with children.

Safeguarding doesn’t stop when somebody is employed

Parents should know that even after an employee’s suitability has been checked, we continue to consider it on an ongoing basis.

Our updated Safer Recruitment Policy makes clear that safer recruitment and suitability are ongoing responsibilities.

Employees are required to tell us without delay about circumstances, events or information that may affect their suitability to work with children.

This includes relevant criminal investigations, charges, cautions, convictions, court orders, disqualification or barring information, alongside other relevant circumstances that could affect their ability or suitability to fulfil their role safely.

If information or a concern comes to our attention, we will consider it and take appropriate action in accordance with our safeguarding responsibilities, the EYFS statutory framework and our employment procedures. Where required, this may also involve Ofsted or other relevant agencies.

Creating a strong safeguarding culture

Policies and checks are important, but strong safeguarding also depends upon culture within an organisation.

We want our nurseries to be places where people remain professionally curious, where concerns are raised rather than ignored, where practice can be challenged, and where safeguarding conversations are part of everyday nursery life.

Our managers have an important responsibility for maintaining oversight of their teams, but every member of Tommies has a responsibility to safeguard the children in our care.

Our commitment to families

We know that safeguarding can be a difficult subject to talk about, particularly when stories involving children appear in the news. But these are conversations we should be having.

Parents have every right to understand how the people caring for their children are recruited and what safeguards are in place once they are employed.

The changes introduced across the early years sector in recent years provide further layers of protection for children, and we will continue to review our own policies and practices as legislation and statutory guidance develop.

Above all, we want our families to know that your trust matters to us.

Safer recruitment is not simply a process we complete when somebody joins Tommies. It forms part of our wider safeguarding culture and our ongoing responsibility to provide environments where children are safe, cared for and able to thrive.

If you ever have a question or concern about safeguarding within your child’s nursery, please speak to your Nursery Manager. We would always rather have a conversation with you and provide reassurance than have a family sitting at home worrying.