How to apply

Fitness to train: criminal convictions

Protection of children/vulnerable people - criminal convictions
Certain types of criminal convictions may have implications for entry onto some programmes as well as practice placements and subsequent employment.

At the time of writing these programs are:

   BA in Applied Social Science, Community Development & Youth Work
   BA in Social Work
   MA in Applied Anthropology & Community and Youth Work
   MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy
   MA in Social Work*
   PGCE (all subjects and age ranges)*
   MA in Art Psychotherapy
   MA Counselling

*You also be required to complete an occupational health questionnaire.

If your application for one of these programmes is successful, you will be required to satisfy us of your fitness to work and train with children and vulnerable people. As part of this process you will need to apply for an enhanced disclosure certificate from the Government's Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The enhanced disclosure certificate provides details of any criminal offences, cautions, warnings and other issues which might be on your record.

Please note that the process of disclosure and fitness to train is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, and as such no convictions, cautions or other relevant information is ever considered spent. We will provide you with further details when we offer you a place.

The College has a responsibility not to admit students who would be debarred from undertaking workbased placements.

Please note that satisfying the College of your fitness to train will not in itself guarantee that a potential employer will take the same view of a conviction.

How we determine fitness to train:

1. If we offer you a place on one of the programmes where fitness to train is a condition of entry, we will ask you to complete an application for an Enhanced Disclosure from the CRB. Please note there will be a fee of £50 for all CRB applications; we will send you further information about payment with your offer. If you have lived overseas we may also ask you to obtain an equivalent criminal background check from the relevant overseas authority.
   
   
2. Once we receive our copy of your enhanced disclosure certificate, we may ask you for further information concerning any convictions, cautions or other relevant information that it reveals, as well as references from the probation service or other organisations.
   
   
3. Once we have this additional information we make a judgement on your fitness to train, including whether we would be able to organise suitable placements for you which are integral to the programme.
   
   
4. If we determine that you do not satisfy the fitness to train conditions, then any offer of a place or provisional enrolment will be rescinded by the College.
   
   
5. All information provided is maintained in a confidential manner.

Appeals

For further information, please contact the Admissions Office, tel 020 7919 7647 or e-mail: admissions@gold.ac.uk.

Policy on the recruitment of students who are ex-offenders

As an organisation using the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure service to access applicants' suitability for positions of trust, Goldsmiths complies fully with the CRB Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

Goldsmiths is committed to the fair treatment of its students, potential students or users of its services, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/ mental disability or offending background.

We have a written policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, which is available upon request to all Disclosure applicants at the outset of the recruitment process.

We actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential and welcome applicants from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. We select all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.

A Disclosure is only requested after a thorough risk assessment has indicated that one is both proportionate and relevant to the position concerned. For those positions where a Disclosure is required, all application forms and recruitment materials will contain a statement that a Disclosure will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position.

Where a Disclosure is to form part of the recruitment process, we encourage all applicants called for interview to declare their criminal record(s) early in the application process. Once declared we will ask that applicants complete a Criminal Declaration By Applicants form and return either a character reference and/or a probation report.  To declare a criminal record please write to: Fitness to Train - CRB, Admissions Office RHB 115, Goldsmiths University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW enclosing full name, date of birth, course(s) applied for and correspondence address.

Occupational health

If you are offered a place on a PGCE programme, you will additionally need to complete an occupational health questionnaire. This is to make sure that:

•  your health will not be compromised by your profession (eg any existing health problems will not become worse)
•  the health and safety of other staff will not be adversely affected by your being unfit to work
•  everyone - including people with disabilities - who wants to work in teaching or social work can achieve their potential through reasonable adjustments, if necessary. The College will make adjustments, including making sure that placements are accessible.

Fitness criteria

In order to assess your health, we need to find out if:

•   you are physically able to cope with the day-to-day duties of your job
•   you can communicate effectively with children, parents, clients and colleagues
•   you have sound judgement and insight, and can remain alert at all times
•   you are able to respond to clients' or pupils' needs rapidly and effectively
•   you can manage classes or groups
•   you do not constitute any risk to the health, safety or well-being of those in your care
•   you can, where disabilities exist, meet all these criteria through reasonable adjustments made by Goldsmiths.

The decision we make on your occupational fitness will be based on your ability to satisfy these criteria, taking into account all the duties which you will undertake as part of your job, and any health problems you have.

Please note that you may be asked to attend a medical examination. You will receive comprehensive guidance and instructions with the occupational health questionnaire.

Fitness classifications

On the basis of your questionnaire (and evidence from a medical examination and specialist advice if appropriate) the College Medical Officer will classify you in one of three categories:

1. Those in good health or with a condition which is unlikely to interfere with their efficiency in teaching or social work.
2. Those in good health but with a condition which may interfere to some extent with their efficiency in teaching some or all subjects, or social work. The condition is not serious enough to make them unfit for a career in teaching or social work.
3. Those with a condition which makes them unfit for working in teaching or social work. Applicants should not normally be included in this category unless they have a psychiatric or physical disorder which is likely to interfere seriously with regular and efficient work duties.

A 'C' classification will be given to an applicant who is not in a satisfactory state of health at the time of the examination but who may, after appropriate medical treatment, may make a good recovery. In this case, they will be able to make a fresh application once they are able to provide a satisfactory medical report following treatment.

This page was last updated March 2011. Any further questions please e-mail: admissions@gold.ac.uk