As Shrewsbury Colleges Group meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment or volunteering opportunities will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. This may include details of cautions, reprimands or final warnings, as well as convictions. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working or volunteering with us. This will depend on the nature of the position you have applied for and the circumstances and background to your offence. The amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provides that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’. This means that they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.

Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. The College has a written policy on recruitment of ex-offenders. A copy is available from Human Resources.