THE Chief Minister has moved to reassure Islanders that ‘enhanced’ checks are carried out on those employed in a ‘position of trust’, including teachers, doctors, carers and contractors on school sites.
Deputy Kristina Moore made the comments after senior Education Department official David Gerald Berry admitted possessing indecent images of children.
Berry, who worked as director of standards and achievement and head of the School Improvement and Advisory Service for the government, pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to having made 357 indecent images of children.
It is understood that the offences did not involve children in Jersey.
Deputy Moore also confirmed that a review into how criminal background checks for government employees was operating.
The case prompted Public Accounts Committee chair Deputy Lyndsay Feltham to ask Deputy Moore – in her capacity as chair of the States Employment Board – for details of the checks in place.
Deputy Moore said: ‘All employees appointed to work with children or vulnerable groups are required to have an enhanced disclosure and barring service check.
‘The enhanced check is a mandatory requirement for all employees who work in a position of trust with children and/or vulnerable adults.
‘The enhanced DBS check will show details of any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings recorded on the Police National Computer, plus a check of the records held by the local police force where the employee resides.
‘In addition, a check of the barred list is also undertaken. Strict pre-employment safeguarding references are also required in line with the Public Service Safe Recruitment policy.’
The Chief Minister added that all employees who required an enhanced DBS check had these ‘renewed every three years’.
‘We are in the process of reviewing the DBS update service, which will allow applicants to keep their DBS certificates up to date and allow us, the employer, to check a DBS certificate,’ Deputy Moore added.
Berry was remanded in custody and is due to reappear in court on 24 March.
