Breakfast Briefings

To check or not to check …… - the legal framework relating to conducting CRB checks - Led by: Joanna Forbes and Geraldine Swanton

• Wednesday 6 October - London
• Wednesday 13 October - Birmingham
• Wednesday 20 October - Leeds

Relevant to: in-house lawyers, human resources managers responsible for conducting CRB checks and senior administrators in HE and FE institutions

There is an enormous disparity in institutions’ approaches to conducting CRB checks. This inconsistency no doubt arises because there is very understandable uncertainty with regard to the legal entitlement to do so, given the complexity of the law. Some institutions err on the side of caution and conduct an enhanced check on every member of staff who may come into contact, however brief or infrequent, with a child or vulnerable adult, while others are very selective in their approach.

What is clear is that the law restricts the category of person on whom a CRB check may be conducted. This session will therefore examine:

• the legal framework for conducting CRB checks
• the consequences for conducting checks unlawfully
• the posts within HE and FE which may be eligible for CRB checks
• the distinction between conducting CRB checks and the requirement (now suspended) to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority
• an update on the implementation of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

Risk Management - What happens when your advisers get it wrong? - Led by: Michael Lawrence and Andrew Holden

• Thursday 11 November - Birmingham
• Tuesday 16 November - London
• Wednesday 24 November - Leeds

Relevant to: senior administrators and in-house lawyers in HE and FE institutions

Most institutions use professional services on a regular basis and on the (reasonable) assumption that those services will be provided with the requisite degree of skill. On occasion however things can go wrong and negligent professional advice can cause financial or other losses. Institutions can be left facing the need to recover losses suffered whilst preserving a longstanding or valued relationship with the professional concerned.

This session uses case studies to demonstrate the kind of issues you might face, the various ways in which problems of this kind can be resolved without necessarily involving the institution in costly and protracted litigation, and the way in which relationships with professionals can be maintained.

Energy Efficiency: Risk and Opportunity - Led by: Catherine Burke and James Spreckley

• Wednesday 1 December - London
• Wednesday 8 December - Birmingham
• Wednesday 15 December - Leeds

Relevant to: estates managers, Finance Directors, and in-house lawyers in HE and FE institutions

Funding for HE and FE is under considerable pressure at a time when we are all being urged to be more energy efficient and make our contribution to the fight against climate change.   HE and FE institutions are being squeezed by high energy costs, high capital costs to install energy efficiency measures and the impact of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.  However, there are also opportunities ranging from novel funding methods for installation of energy efficiency measures, to making money and saving costs from generating your own power.   Now, perhaps more than ever, the energy requirements of an institution need to be considered in the round and as an integral part of estate and financial planning.

This session explores the risks associated with the "do nothing" scenario and the opportunities to do something quite radical.  It will encompass:

• the CRC Energy Efficency Scheme and what phase 2 may bring
• the opportunities for funding of energy efficiency measures
• the feed-in tariffs and the interaction with the CRC
• delivering a renewable energy project

Old School Board M01, Leeds Metropolitan University, Civic Quarter Campus, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 3ED