Employers and sex offenders?

[ShouldIHaveKnown]

Should employers have made employees aware that their line manager is a convicted sex offender (downloading indecent images of children, served prison sentence and has had another conviction for similar offences)

obviously, I’ve just found out and have blocked him on my social media and I once took my child into office when collecting some equipment from him. But I don’t know how I feel about not being told, when my employers know I have young children. It just would have been nice to have been made aware? Or would they not be aware themselves? I’m really not sure how it all works in relation to who needs to know what.

I don’t really know how I’m supposed to feel about it all? I’m a bit disappointed in myself, I feel like I haven’t safeguarded my children enough. My SM is secure and I only share what I want to share with people who I know in real life, friends family ect.. but obviously that doesn’t seem to be enough. It’s made me really rethink who I have on my friends list.

If he doesn't require a DBS for work, then he wouldn't be prevented from employment. Unfortunately, and I say this from experience, you more than likely already have someone who has committed offenses against children who has even closer contact with your children - and this is sadly a fact of life.

I think it's something like 1 in every 5 children is sexually abused. That's unfortunately a lot of adults who pose a risk to children and a minority are prosecuted or even ever caught. I know two people close to me - who had unsupervised access to my children - who are convicted of CSA. While I thought something was off about both of them, I never would have guessed that's what it was. One of them even served several years in prison. All the 'creepy' people out there who I was careful to keep away from my children or not allow on social media, the actual risk was within my own family, with people who I wouldn't automatically have raised any suspicions about. Better the devil you know, as sad as it is to say. I'd have nothing to do with him (as much as you possibly can and still keep your job), but beyond that, there's nothing you can do, especially if there are no risks posed by the job he does. Obviously, if he has a safeguarding role or works with vulnerable people or in any role where he should be prevented from doing that job with prior convictions, that's a different matter, but I would have hoped that all would have been checked out.

As per the PP.

I would, however be looking for a new job. I would NOT be able to work with this man.

It seems his convictions were during the time he was employed by the company, but was a couple of years before I started with them.

I am lucky that I am primarily remote working so I only really have contact with him when I am in office working.

the information above is so so sad. The world is such a horribly scary place and I feel so useless in protecting my children against it. My daughter calls me a super hero all the time and I can’t help but think ‘I bloody wish!’ ☹️

No. Your employers do not need to tell you unless he will have some sort of contact with your daughter in his professional capacity. Taking her into work with you does not count as professional capacity.

Your safeguarding is fine. Now you're aware of his past, you have taken active steps to ensure your daughter won't go anywhere near him.

At work, be polite and professional. Don't have any conversations about your daughter with him and steer any conversations away from her if he initiates one.

Not only should they not have to tell you they are not allowed to tell you.

Well i guess employers dont need to tell you. I wouldn’t be able to keep my opinions to myself though so would probably make a lot of noise about that and eventually move depts or leave. Disgusting vile criminal who doesn’t deserve life let alone respect as a manager.

I hope you're not equating being HIV+ve with being a sex offender
why on earth do you think you should know anyone's HIV status? what kind of workplace is it???

I can’t think of any reason why you would need to know this. Disclosures are carefully planned and managed on a strict need to know basis. Also, for Janelle7, suitable and stable employment is a key part of the rehabilitative process and risk management.

I agree, thats a disgusting comparison, as if a medical issue is in any way comparable to a convicted sex offendor

@Greensleevevssnotnose HIV status is not remotely comparable with someone being a sex offender.

FFS.

Are you really comparing someone with hiv to sex offenders?! Someone's medical status is no ones business! Why the fuck would you mention that not being disclosed in the same sentence as a rapist??

Being HIV+ and being a rapist/child molester is absolutely not the same thing! There's no fucking comparison! How disgusting of you to put the two in the same sentence!

How did you find out?

im sorry, these people cannot be rehabilitated. They just get more sneaky in what they are doing. If its their sexual preference then they wont change.

The company can’t tell you so that’s not their fault, however you say this conviction happened whilst he was employed. I’m shocked that he wasn’t dismissed for bringing the company into disrepute at the time. I’ve seen people dismissed for this reason for a lot less…

I couldn't report to him - can you ask HR for a move?

Also shocked that his job was kept open for him while he served a sentence for such an awful crime, and that he had similar previous convictions. I would not want to work for a company like that.

You haven't put your daughter at risk at all - and you're ensuring that this man has no further contact with her at all.

Hang on a minute, being affected by a health condition that is beyond your control is not in any way in the same ballpark as being charged with a violent crime. It’s really quite unpleasant to lump them in together like that, as if both would be equally deserving of suspicion and the person being treated differently if others knew.

In answer to WinterMorn this vile predator was in stable employment when he committed his crimes and remains in that employment.His employer had ptt r bided him with the protections his victims did not receive.

We can only wonder how his victims are coping and if they will ever have the opportunity to have a settled life free from pain and fear.

To answer OP, though, I’d find it very difficult if not impossible to have the kind of open, trusting relationship you should be able to have with your manager with a sex offender. You just wouldn’t want to share anything even remotely personal with them, and I imagine if you ever found yourself liking them, you’d immediately check yourself and feel awful. It’s not a positive way to have to work.

How did you find out?

There is no guarantee that the company kept his job open for him - he might have got the job after leaving prison. If your company doesnt have any dealings with vulnerable people (like 90% of businesses) then technically there is no reason why they shouldn't employ him.

Now you know, you can keep your family away from him, and be wary around him.

If he committed the offences whilst employed by the company and they kept him on I would seriously be thinking of looking for another job. Obviously top management don't take sex offences against children very seriously if they are quite happy to employ a sex offender. That is not a company ethos I would be comfortable with.

I also don't believe that those who commit sexual offences against children are capable of being rehabilitated.

I would be finding another job, because I wouldn’t work for a company that continued to employ a convicted sex offender. And I’d tell them exactly why I was moving too.

In my professional experience, it would be highly unusual for a company to keep a job open whilst someone serves a prison sentence? How long did they serve?

How did you find out OP? As others have said, employees don't have a right to know. His employers may also not have a right to know if the job doesn't raise any potential risks and if they haven't asked the employee during application stage. If he has committed the offence whilst employed by them and has then returned there, that's a once in a million situation! He will be on the sex offender register and will have to notify police of his employment. The police then make a risk assessment as to whether the employment is 'safe' and whether disclosure needs to be made to the employer

@Janelle7 thats why I called it a process as it’s an ongoing and dynamic procedure. It’s not like there is a sudden end point where we all say job done.