To think that having to have a DBS check to home educate is unfair.

Pre-schoolers do not see health visitors except for a couple of checks, or GPs unless they are ill.

And as for the 5 minutes, you know full well it's nothing to do with the time it takes (and actually it takes much longer AND you need photo ID). It is the fact that it will show up old spent convictions which are nobody else's business and have no bearing on the ability of someone to home educate. If the checks only showed violent and sexual crime, there might be more benefit, but even then, thy only show that you've been caught.

The system was moving in that direction before the Coalition government reined it in.

What people have not grasped on this thread is that a DBS check is going to show up everything. Not just violent and sex crime, but maybe a burglary or shoplifting or fraud. None of those latter convictions are relevant for child abuse and none of them are relevant for whether you should be able to home educate (though the sanctimonious will say nobody with those convictions should have children at all, I know).

Thanks jcyclops, then it’s a non story!

As mentioned higher up by @unlimiteddilutingjuice this is NOT a government proposal. The ONLY place it has been mentioned is in the House of Lords debate by the Liberal Democrat Baroness (Susan) Garden of Frognall, and as such it is hardly worth getting worked up about.

Her actual words were...
Every child is entitled to protection from exploitation. We would like any adult in charge of a child to have a DBS check. This should be no problem at all for caring parents or guardians, and it would bring them into line with all other adults who deal with children.
... and you could even read this as her wanting it to apply to all parents and guardians, not just those who home school. The government won't consider this a serious proposal just because a lunatic Lib Dem raises it in the Lords.

Incidentally, there are 4 levels of DBS check: Basic, Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced with List Check. Only the first two need the subject to have been "caught" breaking a law, the last two also consider intelligence and reports that have not led to charges, and it is the last one that is required to work with children.

Also the DBS report is for an employer to decide whether to employ someone, so I suppose a home schooling parent can be DBS checked, receive the report and then decide whether they want to employ themselves!

Home educated kids are not at a higher risk of abuse, but there is a higher risk that any abuse might go undetected. That's why additional measures should be in place to ensure that the children are safe.

I don't think DBS checks are the answer, though. I would favour regular checks undertaken by the local authority.

How ridiculous! If home educators need a DBS check so should any parent. Home educated DC are not at a higher risk of abuse not that a DBS check would help with that anyway!

Schools can have a no notice inspection by Ofsted or by the LA that always involves checking the Single Central Record - many now pay extra to register staff, governor/trustee and volunteer DBS certificates with the Update Service so they are immediately made aware if somebody's record has information added to it that would affect their suitability to be around children, rather than having to wait to do it all again after three years (the safer recruitment/KCSIE timescale for repeating checks).

If there is a failure in the DBS/SCR processes, it could be the best school in the world in all other respects, but it would automatically become Inadequate and the LA/DfE can enforce a complete change of management or order them to close/join an academy trust.

Fail safeguarding = everything is failed.

Offrolling is also what I do on SIMS when a child moves to another school or I've had formal confirmation from the Children Missing from Education Unit at the Local Authority that they have given permission for a child to be removed from the register after enquiries have been conducted to try and ensure that they are not at risk.

It would be far easier to get that confirmation (it's a legal requirement = literally illegal to remove them from the register otherwise) if the LA were able to insist upon parents registering their children as EHE, rather than just hoping that the least likely to do it agree - and being able to insist upon further checks to ascertain whether the child is actually in a more dangerous situation at home without the interest of a DSL and a whole bunch of staff who, contrary to popular opinion, do really care for the welfare of children, would go further in protecting not just little ones, but teenagers.

It won't stop abuse completely - nothing ever will. But it could make a significant dent in it, not just by picking up on some that are currently in that awful situation with nobody looking out for them, but also in a deterrent; deterring people from saying 'I'm home educating, then' when they aren't actually doing it - because it would not be seen as a means of getting pesky teachers out of the way.

I think this might be the issue - they want to do checks of some sort but not actually have to pay for anything so are trying to find middle ground where it appears they are doing something (but stop short of offering funding)

Some of the problems with making sure basic standards are being met :

What are the basic standards? Home educated children don't have to follow the NC ( just like children at private schools).

How/ who would measure them?

What would happen if a child is found not to reached the basic standards? Force them into school?

Currently, what happens when schooled children don't reach the level expected according to the NC? What consequences does that have for the child, their parents and teacher?

This.

Ah sorry MissShapes the comment O meant was collapsed into a longer thread. It wasn't clear to me who said what.
Could have been Neverdropyourmooncup

Jimmy Savile would have had a clean DBS check - it only shows those who have previously been convicted.

But home education should be subject to much more rigorous checks any evidence that basic standards are being met, coupled with support (such as funding exam fees, and a textbook allowance)

I think unfortunately home education has become an unofficial red flag for safeguarding. That will take some time to unpick.

@unlimiteddilutingjuice I don't think that was me. Though I'm tired today and I can't remember what I've written to be fair!

Just to clarify a few things:
In UK law parents are responsible for making sure their children receive an education suitable for their age, ability and aptitude, taking into account any special needs. Parents can send their children to school and let the school do this on their behalf, or they can educate them "otherwise". Home education is "otherwise ". It is the legal default.

In the UK "home education" refers to elective home education, i.e. parents educate their children themselves.
"Home schooling" is when a child is on a school roll but is receiving education in the home by LA staff, usually for health reasons.

Loopytiles It's just something said by someone in a parliamentary debate.
The actual proposed bill involves making a register of Home Ed children. That's what the debate was about.

Missshapes Your hypothetical scenario is extremely close to some stuff that happened in Home Ed circles in the late 2000's.
At least 2 very prominent women in the home Ed community turned out to have peodophile male partners. The dynamic was exactly as you describe.

Home schooling needed better regulation and funding but can not see the purpose of a dbs. If a parent has a criminal background relating to children surely they would already be on ss records.

Well all teachers have to be DBS checked, so yes of course.

I completely agree with you. Regular checks would be great. I believe it works both ways… the LA and schools have much to learn from home educators.

DBS should be for every individual if the rationale is to seek out potential safeguarding issues. Most examples/scenarios given on this thread to justify the need for DBS check for parents home educating is just as applicable to all parents or individuals how supervise/care for children.

Also, for one to suggest that teachers have got all aspects of a child’s well-being covered by attending school is being naive.

Would you? Do schools get random spot checks? Parents of pre-schoolers? Carers of the disabled?

It is a blanket approach to checking, so that no one can say why me, as yes, home schooling can be a way of hiding a great many issues! Having a check can be useful if you go on to volunteer, work in an area that requires a check in the future, as it speeds up the process.

is this a government official proposal, or just suggested by someone in a parliamentary debate?

Yes that could happen. But what makes you think that this child would not be abused by this man after school, weekends or during holidays?

Also, "offrolling" is what schools do when they convince parents to deregister difficult children.

Most families who homeschool have had their child in the school system previously and do tend to have other children in school,.like myself. They have brothers and sisters, play out, chat on line to one another, go to groups etc , l think most people have the wrong idea re homeschooling, my son is 16 now and has a part time job alongside studying, the majority of them are far from isolated, infact l would say they are probably more intergrated with society, and mix with a much wider range of people.
l have absolutely no issues regarding the LA involvement or DBS check.