APSCo UK August Legal Updates

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By APSCo United Kingdom August 04, 2026 4 minutes read time

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The latest APSCo legal updates for August 2026.

W/C 17th August

DfE - Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026

The Department for Education has published the new Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026 guidance, which comes into force on 1 September 2026. The guidance sets out the legal duties that schools and colleges must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18.The 2026 guidance includes a number of updates to safeguarding expectations and terminology.

Members should ensure that relevant staff are familiar with the updated guidance ahead of September, and should continue using their current process until then.The DfE has also separated their Part one: overview for all staff, which can now be found here.The full KCSIE 2026 statutory guidance can be found here, and a summary of the main changes between KCSIE 2025 and KCSIE 2026 is accessible here.

APSCo - How to spot a recruitment scam

Whilst summer may be a time to rest and recharge, scammers certainly don’t, and we’ve been informed of a rise in recruitment scams targeting staffing businesses. Members are recommended to be vigilant and to read APSCo guidance on How to spot a recruitment scam.

The guidance highlights scams involving cloned recruitment companies and umbrella companies, bogus contractors and hidden umbrella charges, and bogus clients and contractor scam. Warning signs include unsolicited approaches from new clients, contractors already lined up, requests to review adverts before posting, unusual upfront payments and overseas bank accounts. Businesses should independently verify new clients and representatives, carefully check email and web addresses, Companies House records, contractor ID and right to work. Contracts, signatures and payment details should also be checked thoroughly before proceeding.

W/C 10th August

RM6397 Clinical and Non-Clinical Staffing Framework Tender Now Live

The Government Commercial Agency (GCA) has announced that the tender for the RM6397 Clinical and Non-Clinical Temporary and Permanent Staffing Framework is now live.

The new framework will provide a route for supplying temporary, fixed-term and permanent clinical and non-clinical staff to the NHS and other public sector organisations. Due to launch in early 2027, RM6397 will replace the existing Clinical and Healthcare Staffing (RM6281) and Non-Clinical Staffing (RM6277) frameworks, while expanding the scope to include fixed-term and permanent recruitment.

The framework comprises 12 lots, covering a broad range of staffing disciplines, including:

Nursing and Midwifery;
Medical and Dentistry;
Allied Health Professionals, Health Science Services and Emergency Services;
Social Care Staffing;
Administrative and Corporate;
IT Professionals;
Legal;
Scientific, Technical and Clinical Coding;
Estates, Facilities Management and Ancillary Services;
Permanent Recruitment; and
Managed Service Provision (Neutral Vendor and Master Vendor).

The deadline for tender submissions is 21 September 2026 at 3:00pm. APSCo members interested in securing a place on the framework may wish to review the tender documentation and submission requirements.

You can access the tender documentation through our What's New page.

JMW Webinar: Immigration Update on Right to Work Changes

JMW Solicitors will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday 13 August 2026 (10:00am–11:00am) to discuss the upcoming changes to the UK's Right to Work regime, which come into force on 1 October 2026.

The session will cover the key changes to Right to Work checks, what employers need to do to remain compliant, the practical impact on recruitment and onboarding, and the steps businesses should be taking now to prepare. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions during a live Q&A.

The webinar may be of particular interest to APSCo members responsible for recruitment, onboarding and compliance, particularly in light of the forthcoming expansion of the Right to Work regime.

You can register for the webinar here.

W/C 3rd August

New Public Sector Recruitment Framework Opportunity

A new tender opportunity has been published for recruitment businesses through the Connect2Framework, providing a route to supply interim, temporary, professional, technical and operational staff to public sector organisations across the UK.

The framework has an estimated value of £110 million and is expected to run until 28 February 2034.

The opportunity covers a broad range of staffing disciplines, including:

Administration and Business Support;
Customer Services;
Finance;
Human Resources (HR);
ICT and Digital;
Procurement;
Engineering;
Housing;
Facilities Management;
Environmental Services;
Project and Programme Delivery; and
Technical Specialist roles.

The deadline for tender submissions is 25 August 2026, with the framework due to commence on 5 October 2026. Recruitment businesses looking to expand or strengthen their presence in the public sector may wish to review the opportunity.

You can view the tender notice on the Find a Tender service.

Acas Consultation - New Draft Code of Practice for Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures

Acas has launched a consultation on a draft revised Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, the first full update to the Code since 2009.

The draft Code proposes a number of significant changes, including placing greater emphasis on informal resolution, introducing new requirements for disciplinary and grievance correspondence, strengthening guidance on the use of suspension, and adding new sections covering reasonable adjustments, manager training, and mediation.

The proposed changes also replace references to "employees" with "workers" throughout the Code, broadening its scope, although the statutory power for Employment Tribunals to increase or reduce compensation by up to 25% for failure to follow the Code will continue to apply only in relation to employees.

The consultation closes on 23 September 2026, APSCo members may wish to review the proposals and consider responding where the changes may impact their disciplinary and grievance procedures.

You can access the consultation through our What's New page.

GOV Consultation - Workplace Monitoring Technologies

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has launched a consultation seeking views on the use of workplace monitoring technologies as part of its wider Make Work Pay reforms.

The consultation explores the use of technologies such as CCTV, biometric systems, location tracking, AI-enabled monitoring and productivity monitoring tools. It also considers whether the current legal framework provides sufficient protection for workers while enabling employers to use workplace monitoring where appropriate.

The consultation forms part of the Government's wider programme of employment law reform and reflects the increasing use of technology and artificial intelligence in the workplace.

The consultation closes on 26 September 2026, APSCo members may wish to review the proposals and consider responding where workplace monitoring technologies form part of their business operations.

You can access the consultation through our What's New page.