‘Risk to children has got greater’ as over 350 special school staff hired without Access NI checks

Unite the Union says this more than a 200% increase since January

A union has warned the “risk to children in Northern Ireland has got greater” as over 350 special needs support staff have been hired without background checks in Northern Ireland.

A freedom of information request submitted by Unite the Union has found there are 353 special needs school support staff positions that have been filled in NI without an Access NI check taking place.

It says this is a 200% increase from a previous FOI request in January of this year to NI’s 39 special schools which found 108 posts had been filled without Access NI checks.

READ MORE: No hot water or heating for three months in leisure centre branded “shame and disgrace”READ MORE: The 16 new student uniform guidelines issued to NI schools

The union says this has taken place despite a commitment from the Education Minister Paul Givan in May that the EA would move away from the widespread practice of using temporary engagement forms instead of formal recruitment processes to employ school support workers.

General secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham said, “The race to the bottom on working practices in Northern Ireland’s special needs sector is putting the safety of the most vulnerable children at risk. The education minister must act to ensure child safety of children by ending this harmful practice, levelling up employment practices across all SEN schools and professionalising the sector. School support workers must be paid properly, treated with respect and given long-term job security.”

Regional officer, Kieran Ellison said: “The FOI response shows that the risk to children has got even greater.

“Unite has written to the education minister demanding he immediately end this safety risk to children by halting the widespread abuse of temporary engagement forms. Children are being left vulnerable while a workforce responsible for the well-being and safety of children is denied respect and not even properly employed.”

SDLP MLA Cara Hunter has called on the Education Minister to outline plans to end temporary engagement forms in schools as she raises concerns over those working without Access NI checks.

East Derry MLA Cara Hunter said: “It’s deeply concerning that hundreds of school support staff are working with young people with special educational needs without Access NI checks in place. It’s even more important that every step possible is taken to keep vulnerable young people safe and the Minister has totally failed to live up to his public commitment to end this practice.

“I also acknowledge the concerns raised by Unite about the detrimental impact this has on staff. All of the proper rules and regulations must be followed when recruiting, particularly for roles of this nature.

“The Minister must urgently outline his plans to end the use of temporary engagement forms to recruit for these kinds of positions. We need to see staff treated fairly and every possible precaution put in place to protect vulnerable young people.”

A spokesperson for the Education Authority said: “The EA continues to work proactively with schools and individuals to ensure critical outstanding safeguarding checks are completed as soon as possible.

“Prime responsibility for safeguarding within a school sits with the school leader. When a school engages a temporary staff member, they are required to follow the guidance set out in Department of Education NI Circular 2025/06.

“AccessNI and Right to Work checks should be completed in advance of the temporary engagement, but if not possible, must be completed on day one of employment. Principals must inform the relevant governors when non-vetted staff are used through emergency temporary engagement and when checks are complete. Principals must also carry out a risk assessment and ensure that non-vetted staff are supervised by someone who is in regulated activity.

“AccessNI and Right to Work checks are a legal requirement and failure to comply with this results in the dismissal of the employee. The employee will not be paid until compliant with these checks. Individuals engaged through the emergency cover arrangements cannot remain in post without confirmation of a completed AccessNI check.

“On average, the EA processes around 1,170 AccessNI checks each month, and during peak periods such as September and October, this number can exceed 2,000. At any given time, a significant number of checks are in progress as part of normal business operations.

“The average turnaround time for issuing of Access NI certificate is five working days. So, whilst schools are able, on a short-term emergency basis, to engage staff and submit documents for checks on day one, these are under stringent conditions, and those staff must be supervised with children until their check is through.”

The Department of Education has been contacted for comment.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.