Thirty-eight teaching and childcare recruiters have been hit with warnings from the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) inspectorate for failing to comply with the law.

Eleven agencies were found to be not following correct processes when carrying out identity and qualification checks on people they planned to supply for work.

The EAS made sure the agencies changed the way they carried out and documented the checks.

As part of Operation Hazard, EAS inspectors visited 50 agencies in towns and cities including London, Birmingham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and found 140 breaches.

While many offences were minor, the worst practices included:

• failing to agree terms with workers before trying to find them work
• not obtaining all the necessary information from the hirer about the job
• not providing written information to the worker and/or hirer about the assignment such as who was to turn up and do the work, and where they were supposed to be and when.

Employment relations minister Lord Young says: “Agencies in the teaching and childcare sectors should be especially vigilant that they are meeting all of their responsibilities. It is important that children are not put at risk.

“Follow up investigations will take place to make sure that the agencies concerned have acted to change their ways. Agencies that continue to disobey the law could be prosecuted, hit hard with unlimited fines or even banned from operating for up to 10 years.” 

Recruiters can find information on their legal obligations at https://www.gov.uk/browse/business