Responsible Individuals & Nominated Individuals – What are they?
If you work in the care sector or it’s a career you’re planning on moving into, you may have heard of the job roles – responsible individuals and nominated individuals.
If you’re unsure what these roles are, the responsibilities expected of each role, and what type of DBS check is needed for each, then read on.
What is the role of a responsible or nominated individual?
Care facilities or care service providers have a duty to make sure that they remain in compliance with rules and regulations. To stay registered with certain bodies that oversee the care sector in the UK, they must be able to prove that they comply with guidance.
In order to manage safeguarding compliance and accountability, care facilities and nurseries appoint people within the organisation to supervise any ‘regulated activities’. Regulated activities are those that involve frequent, unsupervised direct contact with children or vulnerable adults. The people they appoint are known as responsible or nominated individuals.
The main role of the responsible or nominated individual is to oversee safeguarding policies and procedures, and report these to the regulatory bodies in charge of care provision, such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) or the Care Inspectorate in Wales (CIW).
The responsible or nominated individual is usually somebody that has a high ranking position with the care company or facility, such as:
- Owner of a care facility
- Board member
- Partner
- Director
- Senior local authority officer
What does a nominated or responsible individual do?
The most common duties and tasks performed by the responsible or nominated individual are:
- Oversight of regulated activities
- Care service management
- Healthy and safety
- Day-to-day management
- Resourcing the care facility
- Providing support.
How do you become a responsible or nominated individual?
You don’t need any official qualifications to become a responsible individual within a care setting. However, you must understand the responsibilities and be able to prove to the regulatory bodies that you can carry out the duties effectively.
In other words, you need to understand the different duties expected of a responsible individual, as well as knowing safeguarding requirements and policies and other details of the legislative framework for your care facility.
The responsible or nominated individual must be in possession of or provide the following:
- Employment record that doesn’t show any sign of discriminating or victimising others, according to the Equality Act 2010.
- No history of financial misconduct or other type of misconduct while in a care role.
- Free from criminal convictions that may pose a risk to vulnerable adults or children.
- Documents to prove their suitability for the role.
If any of the above requirements are not met, the CQC can intervene to remove the status of responsible individual.
Does a responsible or nominated individual need a DBS check?
Yes, as responsible individuals are tasked with supervising regulated activities, then they definitely need a DBS check.
Examples of regulated activities include:
- Caring for children or vulnerable adults (personal, social, or medical care).
- Teaching or training
- Mentoring
- Transporting children or vulnerable adults.
Anybody that has a regulated activity role as part of their job is required to apply for an Enhanced DBS Check. The applicant will also need to get a barred list check done too, which makes sure that they are not banned from working with children or vulnerable adults.
Summary
A responsible or nominated individual is somebody who works as part of a care facility and oversees regulated activities. They provide evidence of regulatory compliance and safeguarding.
The role requires that the individual has an Enhanced DBS Check with barred list check.
To find out more about DBS checks for care workers and care facility staff, contact us today.