22 December 2008
Work Experience, CRB Checks and New Vetting Scheme
Following a parliamentary written response to a question about work experience and CRB checks there has been some confusion as to whether or not CRB checks are required in companies taking on children and young persons for work experience.
In the vast majority of placements - as the employer / employees involved will not have regular unsupervised access to young people at work - there is no need for CRB checks to take place. Around 550,000 work experience placements take place each year and we estimate that CRB checks will take place for just 1% of these.
CRB checks must be considered where:
· students have been identified by the school as vulnerable for educational, medical, behavioural or home circumstance reasons.
· students are on placements lasting more than 15 days over an extended time-frame
· a residential element is present
Vetting and Barring Scheme
The main aim of the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) is to prevent people who pose a known risk of harm from working with children and vulnerable adults. Anyone deemed unsuitable will be placed on one of two (ISA) Barred Lists.
From October 2009, any individual who is working or volunteering, or seeking to work or volunteer, with children or vulnerable adults on a frequent or intensive basis (known as regulated activity) must apply to join the scheme. If the individual is considered unsuitable by the ISA they are barred from working in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults. Only applicants who are judged not to pose a known risk to vulnerable people can be ISA-registered.
There will be no mandatory requirement to register with the ISA when you offer work experience placements for young people. However, employers will commit an offence if they knowingly used a person barred for working with children into such a position when offering work experience. We would recommend that employers use a risk-based approach when considering the appropriate safeguards to put into place for those supervising or training young people.
Further details can be found in our guidance document.
Pay Review Data, Wage Benchmarking and Cost of Living – FEB 2024 UPDATE
14 February 2024
We have collated data from multiple sources that should be useful for BPIF members that are approaching internal pay reviews, and/or are having a closer look at their pay and benefits structure. The datafile, first published in February 2023, has been updated with the latest available data - and additional content on factors exerting pressure on pay settlements in 2024.
Slight recovery of output and orders falls short of expectations in Q4 - confidence concerns mount in 2024
22 February 2024
Performance in the UK's printing and printed packaging industry did improve in Q4, as far as output and orders are concerned. However, it didn't come close to what would historically be considered the seasonal norm, nor quite match the subdued expectations for Q4.
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