Vocal Voices

Well, some of them are, so says a Judge.

About time.

CRB or Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) orders are necessary for some jobs, but minor misdemeanours committed decades ago are surely irrelevant for many jobs?

The problem is that some employers use them as a catch-all to prove they are doing the right thing. And when a caution is flagged up for one employer it is flagged up for all subsequent searches.

I agree with you Frank. What has always seemed silly to me is that they don't 'travel' ie if you get a similar job, or move to a different area, you have needed to get a new one! A money-making scam I reckon

My S. is the CRB Officer for a large CofE church - no names, no pack-drill. It is a very time-consuming job.

The church runs playgroups and elderly clubs, which necessitates a huge number of volunteers being CRB checked (I think my S. has her own secure filing cabinet on the premises for the paperwork!). Many of the volunteers are professional people anyway and a lot will have CRB checks through their employment, but because of the "history" of the CofE, (which I won't need to spell out for you, I'm sure), the CRB checking regimen - and reporting - has to be very, very tight.

Half the battle is trying to get the punters to fill in their application forms and return them before undertaking their voluntary work, and the other half of the battle is persuading the PCC et al. that it's a task that is mandatory, because the repercussions of not doing it "by the book" can be huge.

It is very tricky, Ossie.

Some work, such as that with children and vulnerable adults, the elderly, do need to be checked thoroughly, but do check-out operators or binmen need CRB?

And should there not be time limitations on some of these misdemeanours?

My MIL needed one for her AgeUK voluntary work, despite being a nurse of very long standing and some rank! A blameless career, including a stint helping to set up Macmillan in Gloucester, dinner with Princess Anne and the Bishop etc etc etc Many many years before then children's nursing, district nursing with never a whisper of a complaint against her, in fact she recently met a young Macmillan nurse who did a project on her for part of her training! Oh and then a separate one for her Cruse voluntary work, that also cost money!

Seems plain daft to me!

DBS checks are only needed by those working with vulnerable people - children or vulnerable adults. Dustbin men and check out operators do not need them.

It is ridiculous that you need to have one done for each different institution but they do that to keep on top of things. A person can be charged with an offence but still be using a two year old DBS check to get a job. Each check flags up anything new.

That's why they do it.


Sent from halfway down the stairs

A person can be charged with an offence but still be ding a two year old DBS check to get a job. Each check flags up anything new.

That's true........

I never mention this to Mrs S because she's vitriolic on the subject. As a teacher she took cycling proficiency. As cyclists we feel that children should know how to cycle safely.

She had been doing it as a teacher. A teacher is checked once and that check then applies to all the others whilst they are registered to teach and continue in teaching. 6 months after leaving teaching she had to be checked to do cycling proficiency for a local school even though she had been checked and certified in that same year.

When it came to the next year and they demanded the check again, she simply told the school that she was not putting up with that given her previous teaching experience. Find someone who will put up with it or find a teacher who will take the certification.

The whole thing is a political PC, cover my ass, minefield which has nothing to do with the safety of the vulnerable and everything to do with the avoidance of prosecution...

I had to be both employment checked and financially checked for my current job. As a contractor... Something which had never been done before. The UK is becoming more and more unpleasant to live and work in.