National Minimum Standards for Adoption Support Agencies

1.	Safeguarding and promoting welfare
2.	Services
3.	Staff
4.	Complaints and representations
5.	Records and accessing them

3. Staff
Anyone working in or for an adoption support agency must be suitable to work with the agency's service users, in particular children and young people.
 

Recruitment. The agency should have procedures in place for the recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers. The procedures should follow good practice guidelines in relation to safeguarding welfare and all staff responsible for recruitment should understand and follow them. All staff should be interviewed and have written references checked as part of this process.

Criminal records Bureau (CRB). All people working for the agency, including temporary, sessional and voluntary staff, have a satisfactory standard or enhanced CRB check. CRB checks are renewed every 3 years. CRB checks for current staff and volunteers that need to be updated because it is 3 years or more since their last check only remain effective until 1 April 2006.

Records should be kept of the checks and references that have been obtained and their outcomes.