General Chat

May I just add that I am a cleaner in a school and I have had to have a CRB check. We have little contact with the children as they are normally all out of school when we get there. The contract cleaning company pays for it in my case.

Anne

That is an interesting thing because it raises the question of who is responsible for getting one of the checks done. For instance, I help out with a group of Rainbows so my CRB check was organised by Girlguiding UK, so I wonder whether the organisation will make similar arrangements for all of their volunteers, unit leaders etc.

The thing that strikes me is, if the responsibility is on the individual person as against the organisation, it would take a lot of sorting out by the organisation to make sure that everybody involved was checked. (And that's not allowing for errors - I had to put the names of two referees down when I did my CRB check and somehow Girlguiding managed to send the form my referee had to fill in to my address - so I had to forward it on!)

The 'official' talking on the radio this morning didn't seem too sure, Bob. Seems like a bit of a 'focus group knee jerk reaction' to me.

'Good idea - lets do it' - think it through - good heavens we don't need to do that!

I MAY be wrong, but methinks it only applies to ORGANISED Bus trips.......taking yours and a mates kids to football practice using your own car,doesn't count, as far as I am aware

Bob

So let me get this right ....you need a CRB check to drive children to sports and other clubs ..........

BUT anyone can have a baby and keep it .......with or without a crimnial record with or without the ability to raise a child ........

dont make sence to me

this appears to have the possibility of degrading to the Hitler state before WW2

do you suspect your neighbour?......fellow passenger? and so on......Mark my words

Bob

I am crb checked.Have been for years.When i worked for check in at the airport, and neuro centre and frail and elderly.I have worked with mental health for 4 years so they are vulnerable as well. I was told at a meeting quite a while ago about this change.I will recieve a pin number.Hopefully the right people will get through. Annie

Listening to a woman trying to explain this on Radio 4 this morning - she was backtracking and trying to avoid any direct answer!
When asked if a parent who occasionally took a neighbours children to after school activities (ie brownies) would have to be chacked - it appears that if she takes them more than twice a month - than YES!
Looks like, unless every parent is checked, everyone will have to have a car for the school run soon - taking other's children to school will be a no-no, which will lead to yet more carbon footprint, clogging up of traffic, pollution and danger for other children outside the school gates.


Whatever happened to the ability to 'suss' someone out?
Are we all deemed to have lost the ability to judge a person's character?

As has been said, Huntley had been checked - yet as soon as I saw him on TV, he gave me the creeps and I actually said 'it was him' - he was shifty and far too 'available for comment'.

My sister goes on Dof E weekends with children - as the token female!
A new male helper as joined the group of adults that go - CRB checked etc, but my sister didn't trust him - he wanted to be far too 'pally' with the teenagers. Transpires she was right - fortunately nothing much happened - he suggested this girl meet him afterwards - and the girl told another adult. As my sister said - you have to watch the behaviour - and we all have an inkling of 'not quite right' behaviour - bits of paper mean nothing

Volunteer workers will be CRB checked but will be exempt from charges.

I heard, a while back, that they were going to put everybody onto a "safe" list and then, if convicted for anything, they would be removed from the "safe" list which would seem a far more logical way of doing it and save duplication etc. I assume they are doing it this way to make a bit more money!

Jill

Well basic CRB disclosure is £25 a throw so lots of pennies to be generated....Dont object to them myself, Gord I had to have one just to clean planes at the airport

I don't suppose there will ever be a completely fail safe method.

Jane and Phillip are absolutely right. It's like saying that you are not associating with a potential murderer because nobody you know has been convicted of murder.

Very few people who are murdered expect to be murdered by a particular person.

A character reference SHOULD be more use than a piece of paper saying there are no previous officially recorded convictions/concerns. However it can be difficult to get an honest character reference because in today's litageous atmosphere a referee may be worried about a charge of defamation.

So basically it comes down to your own assessment of an individual, not just relying on CRBs or references.

Mildred, I was also a helper at the school when mine were at school.
The thing is the danger does not lie in school.
The danger is in the introduction of someone into the situation, where at any time they would become a FRIEND to the child. A child would THEN be vulnerable when perhaps meeting the friend outside of school hours.
Don't you think?
Deanna X

Elaine, apparently even if you have a CRB you will still have to pay for this new check in addition.

My first reaction was a bit like yours Brian, but then I think we must look after the children.

I had a discussion with my son this morning, and we both decided it was a good thing.
His wife is teacher and has been investigated, and she has no worries about it.

I agree that it takes some thinking about, but in the long run I am for it. My only complaint would be that we would be expected to pay for it ourselves.
There again, The education authorities pay for the teachers, well they did for my DIL anyway.

People will always slip through the net, but if it saves one child the trauma and pain.... I'm for it.

Deanna X

"Volunteers in schools have a CRB check"

Not in our primary they dont !

I was a Parent Helper for a couple of years before I started work at the school, only once I started paid work there I was CRB checked.

Parent helpers are not checked in our school. I assume because PHs are never left alone with a child.

Of course, I can be left alone with them now as a PH as Im also staff :o)) so I assume under the new laws I will be already covered as a PH as ive got a current CRB check running with the school

Will have to check with the Head on the matter.

You need to get new CRB checks done every time you change jobs because you could have commmited an offence after you had the last check done. It is also the responsability of each employer to check that you have not commited any offence against children.

Jane

I've had CRB checks and I thought everyone did to work with children. I volunteer help in a local primary school on a regular basis.
What I can't understand with the present system is why I need a different one if I help at a different school ( in the same district and county) and yet another if I help out at a playschool.
Will the new system have a central holding of information that each establishment can refer to?......

Gwyn

As a volunteer years ago at my children's schools I was CRB checked and, now that I work with children, I still am regularly and I'm glad of it. What worries me is the length of time that a CRB check can take to come through - sometimes up to 6 months. I've sent mine off for renewal yesterday so I'll be able to let you know how long it takes now, hopefully the system is better organised now. There are about 12 staff where I work and at any one time someone is always waiting for their check to come back.

Isnt that the case in everyday life?though........Brian....
get stopped by old bill and their attitude is.............PROVE you are legal/innocent...........
I once was stopped because I inadvertantly let my nearside wheels cross a solid white line, dis-regarding the fact that THEY were Tailgating ME, and I thought that they wanted to come by.........so I had made room for them.........
""we have stopped you and we are entitled to breathalyse you........""