This workshop will be of particular interest to groups which have registered or may be thinking of registering with Access NI.
The workshop will focus on how a group makes a recruitment decision about a staff member/volunteer based on the information received from Access NI and also how a group deals with the implications of the decision.
Access NI has been established by Northern Ireland Office, Department of Health, Social Services and Public safety (DHSSPS), Department of Education and Police Service (NI) and will be fully operational from 1 April 2008.
It will replace the POC (NI) Service currently provided by DHSSPS.
The POC (NI) service will no longer accept applications for checks from 17th March 2008. Groups who are required to carry out checks under POCVA legislation must therefore register with Access NI in order to ensure access to checks from 1 April 2008.
Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer with Rural Community Network, commented 'Like any change, there seems to be some uncertainty about the role of Access NI and how a group uses this service to enhance recruitment and employment decisions.
The workshop will address these uncertainties, advocating many of the concerns our members have expressed.'
Michael continued 'Some of the changes will be the way groups go about obtaining disclosure information, the amount of information that will be obtained and the process of sharing this information with the person who has been checked.
The changes have important implications for community development work on the ground but the information provided by the workshop can assist groups to continue their work through adopting best practice guidelines in this sensitive and important issue.'
The workshop is free and lunch will be provided. For further information or to confirm your place, please contact Ann Marie McStocker at Rural Community Network on 028 8676 6670 or email annmarie@ruralcommunitynetwork.org