Reed want to see my husband's bank statements 😩

[Weepingwillowtree]

Desperate to get back into the workplace after 10 years out being a SAHM. Plucked up the courage to go for a Reed interview for a teaching assistant job (no qualifications required even though I have a BSc). Was told I had too much of a gap in my CV and they would need to see my husbands bank statements to “prove that I had been supported by him during this time”. I feel this is a total invasion of our privacy, what has my husbands finances got to do with whether or not I am capability of being a teaching assistant?? Am I being completely unreasonable refusing to provide this? They said they can’t give me a job unless I show his bank statements 😩

I have never heard of this and I have worked in recruitment and finance, no way?

Possible concerns about staff and their families. As I said before many times I can understand why in my area of work (special fuck me if I I was I would want to be paid more, but it’s an area that has more of a legal framework and clinical support than other areas of mh)

Not all criminals are business masterminds but many are very manipulative

That’s an interesting one a third party the abuser think about it how people are manipulated. Drug runners are manipulated for example

That would be an HR concern about penalising someone. I do not work in HR or have influence over HR policies. Do I agree with all polices no (that have been forever changing this past year) we have unions to deal with concerns regarding this

Please can you to stop with the nasty personal insults. I’m thick skinned but I find it unnecessary, I am not sure what it achieves. Really you shouldn’t be attacking with personal insults or name calling you have no idea how posters can take this

@OhWhyNot So exactly what information do you think will be found in a partners bank account that will show the applicant is an unsuitable person? Transfers from “Mr A Drug Dealer”(

Maybe prospective employers should just implement surveillance on applicants and their partners, after all, better to know as much as possible. Right?

You just can’t admit you are wrong. And I work in an area where we are perceived to be possibly vulnerable to corruption and poor associations can cost us our job and yet we don’t get asked off this. And on application we had to provide details of our close friends and partners and checks were made on them.

@OhWhyNot

Possible concerns about staff and their families. As I said before many times I can understand why in my area of work (special fuck me if I I was I would want to be paid more, but it’s an area that has more of a legal framework and clinical support than other areas of mh)

Not all criminals are business masterminds but many are very manipulative

That’s an interesting one a third party the abuser think about it how people are manipulated. Drug runners are manipulated for example

That would be an HR concern about penalising someone. I do not work in HR or have influence over HR policies. Do I agree with all polices no (that have been forever changing this past year) we have unions to deal with concerns regarding this

Please can you to stop with the nasty personal insults. I’m thick skinned but I find it unnecessary, I am not sure what it achieves. Really you shouldn’t be attacking with personal insults or name calling you have no idea how posters can take this

The Op isn’t working with drug runners or gang related organised crime members. She is applying to be a supply teacher.

In that context the request from Reed is patently absurd and well beyond their remit.

Presenting yourself as if you are a senior staff member in an area with safeguarding concerns means you are presenting yourself as an authority figure on the topic. Except it’s nonsense and you clearly aren’t. I object to you arguing that because you would ignore your civil liberties, that approach is some sort of exemplar. Nobody is suggesting that Reed need Ops husbands bank records to check he isn’t blackmailing her or coercing her. And frankly even in areas where that is a concern it’s the employee themselves whose finances are investigated because if they are in serious debt they are at risk of being bought off. A third parties finances are still not relevant unless getting into MI5 territory.

You should own the fact that you have been talking complete twaddle that is irrelevant to the situation the Op is actually in. Instead you just keep digging into more and more absurdity to try and justify it.

People shouldn’t talk nonsense if they don’t want to be called out on it. Can’t see why any poster would take that as anything except what it is - people tend to know when they are talking nonsense so are unlikely to be broken hearted with a stranger on the internet notices it and points it out. If people don’t want to be called idiots they shouldn’t say idiotic things.

[quote Nicknacky]@OhWhyNot So exactly what information do you think will be found in a partners bank account that will show the applicant is an unsuitable person? Transfers from “Mr A Drug Dealer”(

Maybe prospective employers should just implement surveillance on applicants and their partners, after all, better to know as much as possible. Right?

You just can’t admit you are wrong. And I work in an area where we are perceived to be possibly vulnerable to corruption and poor associations can cost us our job and yet we don’t get asked off this. And on application we had to provide details of our close friends and partners and checks were made on them.[/quote]
Exactly so!

Nobody anywhere should be asking for third party personal data. It would always be a direct approach to that person in the very rare cases it’s needed.

Is Reed refusing to put you forward for a role, or have you been interviewed and now they’re asking for this?

If it is the latter, contact the school and confirm that this is what they want. If it is the former- contact the school and tell them what they’re saying.

As I said before many times I can understand why in my area of work (special fuck me if I I was I would want to be paid more, but it’s an area that has more of a legal framework and clinical support than other areas of mh)

Really, stop digging now. The Mental Health and Mental Capacity Acts, DOLS legislation, PREVENT guidance and relevant safeguarding frameworks do not make any provision for asking people's spouses for their bank statements to explain a gap in their CV.

There is however a requirement for staff in senior health roles to demonstrate critical thinking and advocate for people in their care. A lax attitude to personal data would be a concern.

Aside from the fact that my last post led bizarrely to being told I must be an employee at Reed (I'm not) there is a lot of missing the point.
Compliance checks by education agencies are not only made for reasons of safeguarding, they are also made to prove the right to work and to prove legitimate tax status.
In OPs case, a number of things may have conspired to make them ask for DHs statements. Not having worked, perhaps not knowing NI number, perhaps not being a UK citizen (we don't know this), perhaps not having own bank account (which is really unusual and would raise eyebrows), and also contingent on being told "my husband has supported me" in answer to the question "what have you been living off?".
These are very similar questions issued by benefits agencies and tax fraud investigators, and they do not relate to child protection at all-that's what the DBS is for. They relate to the right to work.
The only other time I have heard of a request for proof of spousal income is in immigration cases, and yes, it might feel intrusive, but it is a legitimate standard of proof-OP has told them, presumably, that she has had money and how, so she will need to prove where it came from
Before shouting me down, as already happened, there is plenty of sense in what they are requesting IF there has been a failure to provide other more conventional types of document.
And to reiterate, it is not a privacy breach, because they have not extracted or taken the information, they have asked for it. OP can refuse, but will then have to accept they need to seek work through other routes.
No, I don't work for Reed, but I am registered with them. I too found compliance quite OTT, as said, but I needed to get work.

In OPs case, a number of things may have conspired to make them ask for DHs statements. Not having worked, perhaps not knowing NI number, perhaps not being a UK citizen (we don't know this), perhaps not having own bank account (which is really unusual and would raise eyebrows), and also contingent on being told "my husband has supported me" in answer to the question "what have you been living off

None of these things has anything to do with looking at someone else’s bank statements.

You could be an illegal immigrant and live off a partner. What this bank statement is supposed to prove I have no idea.

@MrMucker

Right to work and immigration based on spousal support are separate issues. The latter might be requested if Op was dealing with the immigration office. But she isn’t. She’s trying to get a job as a teaching assistant and so all they need is evidence of her right to work in the UK. Which her husbands bank statement cannot prove.

@Bythemillpond

In OPs case, a number of things may have conspired to make them ask for DHs statements. Not having worked, perhaps not knowing NI number, perhaps not being a UK citizen (we don't know this), perhaps not having own bank account (which is really unusual and would raise eyebrows), and also contingent on being told "my husband has supported me" in answer to the question "what have you been living off

None of these things has anything to do with looking at someone else’s bank statements.

You could be an illegal immigrant and live off a partner. What this bank statement is supposed to prove I have no idea.

It is supposed to verify whatever OP has already told them. It is pretty standard for the bigger employment agencies to ask the question "how have you been supporting yourself?" if someone has not worked for a while They have to ask this as they are duty bound to report suspected tax evasion. And so they are also duty bound to require proof of earnings or money coming in. They didn't just ask for the statements out of the blue, it will have been in response to OP stating that DH had supported them. It could also be that OP had to submit bank statements of their own, and DH had made payments which they were required to question, as they just appeared mysteriously on their statement. It is EXACTLY as benefits and tax offices operate, to prevent fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.

There's so much outrage in this thread about this, but the request will have a context.

@MrMucker it is a legislation breach as they are asking the OP to obtain someone else's data which they gave no right to hold.

My husband had to do this after he was made redundant- he had to show evidence of the redundancy payment then my bank account details as the earner during this time. So I don't believe it is anything to do with being a woman more their fraud checks

I also redacted the bank statements to show anything but my salary

Mrmucker Reed told the OP that she needed to explain the gaps in her CV. This is entirely correct.

They then told her she needed to produce copies of her Husband's bank statements to evidence that she had been a SAHM.
This is bollocks.

Purple they haven’t asked it’s hypothetical and I wouldn’t be the person asking or passing on any information from other staff members. I am not privy to any of this information. HR is a very separate role which it should be and is thankfully. HR have had to carry out a number of risk assessments due to covid and our working conditions, we try to make sure the best we can these are followed

Things can change and so often do

I’m well aware of what my role is at work what is expected of me.

The procedures of medication, reporting, language used, guidelines followed (this particularly stressful this past year) is everyday work and is hugely important

The working with patients is the challenging work and working within our framework, along with their conditions, risk concerns and reporting correctly to the correct people. how they are managing day to day living. compliance, possible substance misuse, bullying, safeguarding, is all carefully and mostly very well managed by a hard working and diligent team with many hcp’s. I manage part of this team and daily my critical thinking skills are used when working with people in forensic mh do you think I take what is told to me as face value if I did I wouldn’t be in my role and being lax simply isn’t an option for myself (I can’t say that all hcp’s are great but vast majority in our team are)

MrMucker

But how exactly would her dh’s bank statements show this?

Also I know I would never give my bank statements if Dh said an agency needed them and he wouldn’t give me his. They are private for a reason.

I have been out of work for decades. I don’t understand how anything on dhs bank statements would refer to me?
Or equally how anything would refer to him on my bank statements

Bigger employment agencies are perfectly entitled to ask the question "how have you been supporting yourself?"
But can’t expect someone to produce someone else’s bank statements as proof.

If op turned round and said OnlyFans would Reed want to see the bank statements from all her regulars?

As I have said the advanced DBS never asked dd for anything like this.
This i think is purely a Reed procedure which doesn’t sound right

I'm going with a someone at Reed procedure.

Fairly sure the company as a whole would distance themselves from this nonsense.

@MrMucker so how exactly will her husband's statements show he has supported her?

DH has a job which requires some quite deep level vetting. He had to give details of his parents, his parents other halves (divorced parents) his siblings, their other halves, me, my parents and siblings plus very close friends. At no point were ANY of us asked for any financial information and I had supported him financially for a few years!

@MrMucker if they suspect tax evasion (and there is nothing about being a SAHM that implies this, FFS), they just report it.

They absolutely do not have any business carrying out a forensic analysis of her husband’s bank statements looking for evidence of wrong-doing.

What planet do people live on where they would be happy with that level of intrusion from a fucking employment agency.

@Bythemillpond

MrMucker

But how exactly would her dh’s bank statements show this?

Also I know I would never give my bank statements if Dh said an agency needed them and he wouldn’t give me his. They are private for a reason.

I have been out of work for decades. I don’t understand how anything on dhs bank statements would refer to me?
Or equally how anything would refer to him on my bank statements

Bigger employment agencies are perfectly entitled to ask the question "how have you been supporting yourself?"
But can’t expect someone to produce someone else’s bank statements as proof.

If op turned round and said OnlyFans would Reed want to see the bank statements from all her regulars?

OK, here's just one possible example. OP is required to submit own bank statements as standard compliance and verification. On bank statements there is a series of irregular incoming payments of unknown provenance. This is a red flag. OP could be working cash in hand, money laundering, whatever. So they question it, and OP says "my husband has been supporting me". If your job is compliance you need to go further and say "ah, ok. Well we need evidence of this. We need to see the same amounts going out of husband's statement". This level of investigation satisfies in the same way as a pay slip. That's just one example. There is literally no breach here. They are simply asking "how can you prove what you are saying?". and DH's statements would be proof when OP has nothing else. I don't know why people are reading infringement of privacy, sexism, data protection, irrelevance etc into this. It is simply a request for proof. OP can refuse, she's not having the info extracted, stolen or harvested. She's trying to prove that she is not a tax evader, has the right to work, has no other income (necessary knowledge for their payroll). And equally she can say "no, that's uncomfortable for me". That's fine too, but she then wont go on their books. People are reading all the wrong things into the request, possibly the same people who do get outraged at tax evasion and don't get that this is about protecting the national coffers. Previous poster said about blanking out irrelevant stuff on statement-that's a pretty sensible option if you worry about privacy. It is just protocol. And OP is allowed to refuse.

The job is a Teaching Assistant at a primary school. The appointing manager/head needs to be satisfied that any gaps in the OPs CV are adequately explained as part of safer recruitment.

No one needs to start an AC12 level enquiry. A reference will do.