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

How many UK non home schooled children are harmed or killed by their parents annually?
What's the percentage from both groups?

I'm not an expert but from what I can see the vast majority of children killed or taken into care annually are either under school age or were at school.
Whenever home ed is involved it hits the headlines, and generally has involved SS already being aware and failing to use the powers they already have.

This. Absolute nonsense. What's the logical justification?

The thing that would really help children at risk would be more funding for social services, health visiting, cahms, respite care, homestart, support for victims of domestic violence to get out etc.

This seems to be a 'what can we do that is cheap so we can say we have done something'

Thousands of kids are out of school because they are school refusing since the pandemic and have mental health issues.

I assume the LA would bear the costs. The same LAs that complain they can't fund SEN provision?!? Or is this where the intend to channel the SAO fines money into? Presumably they'd be done annually.

At least this is logically consistent but would you agree that such a big step onto the lives of families by the government should be openly discussed and carefully negotiated and not achieved because we created the precedent because of a deep mistrust of homeschoolers and a legislative leap?

@MissShapesMissStakes
for all children there are GPs, dentists, other health care professionals.

What I mean by that is, when you don’t take a young child to GP for vaccinations or refuse health visitor checks they usually follow up.
There aren’t many obligatory health checks for school aged children so that’s why an extra check might be helpful.

however I do agree that DBS might not be the most useful as it only checks for caught crimes.

No, not all parents who say they are home educating are abusers with a criminal record - BUT - there is no difference legally/practically between anyone who is doing it as they should and somebody who isn't - if the LA knows of them at all, which isn't a legal requirement at present.

The DBS might be useful in picking up the other adults in the home as well - you know, the ones who have joined the family at a later date and all too often turn out to be violent with a long criminal record and harm the children and/or the parent.

I could be offended that anybody ever thought it was essential to check if I had convictions or other risk factors in my history for working with vulnerable adults and children, just like the only type of HEs here could be offended. But nobody's got a problem with my being checked (including me) - and as abuse is more likely to be perpetrated by somebody in a child's home than it is in a formal setting, it makes absolute sense that all adults should be regularly checked when they have taken a legal step that automatically removes a layer of sight where safeguarding is concerned.

I could also be offended that my bag gets checked when I go into a venue - but I'm not because there is no way of knowing without checking if I'm carrying a weapon or other means of harming people. I know I'm not a murderous terrorist or somebody who thinks a knife is the way to deal with anybody who annoys me - but the guy on the door doesn't know that, does he? I'm also happy that the other people in the queue have their bags checked, too - as I don't want to be on the receiving end of somebody else's aggression if I accidentally knock their arm when they're holding a plastic cup of £5 luke warm Red Stripe. Or to experience an Arena incident.

I'm pretty sure this is a follow up to the huge numbers of children who didn't show up on school registers following lockdowns - there was likely to be a record of a child existing from birth records, child benefit records or suchlike, but no indication of where they are now. State Schools have to report if a child disappears, but if they don't pop up again, they could be out of the country, in private education (although they are generally onboard with the protection as well and also notify the LA of leavers and starters), in unregistered schools, anywhere.

When a child could be anywhere and with anybody, anything could be happening to them - because, well, abusers would say that they were home educators being picked on, wouldn't they?

Can you please show proof of this?

But how would a DBS check pick up current abuse?

Not sure what happened there. I'm against it for all the pints I detailed on earlier posts. And homeschooled children have gps too, so that doesn't wash. As for health visitors - no one bothered to turn up for my last child but I'm not sure the cup of tea with the others amounted to a safeguarding safety net.

Yes, you probably would Heleena
I could paper my house with the number of DBS certificates I've got. I'm enhanced DBS checked for work, then twice more for 2 separate voluntary roles, and then when I went as a helper on a school trip for one night, to look after my own child's medical needs, I had to have another!
I think it is a money making racket. There was talk a while ago of making them transferable but I'm not sure if has happened.
The most ridiculous example I have ever had was a few years ago at my then work place. We had a vacancy filled with an agency worker, being paid about 3 times the regular staff, but she liked it and decided to apply for the permanent role which she got. Then a couple of days before she was officially due to become permanent she was told by HR that she couldn't start because her DBS check hadn't come through. "What?" said our boss "She's been working here for nearly 6 months, she must be checked surely". "Yes" said HR " But only as an agency worker, not as one of our staff". So she ended up getting her agency contract extended for another month at premium rates whilst she waited for the new DBS. Same person, same job. Ridiculous. I really have very little faith in the system.

The key term is “most” in your statement

so you know full well not all. And I’m sure you know also full well that sone kids are home educated to hide abuse, and that for some had a simple dbs check be done before it was agreed then a child would be protected. Not all. But sone.

and if even one child is protected then how the fuck can anyone object.

How would a DBS check pick up current abuse?

@Redbone is this based on evidence?

@Floydthebarber that's a strong accusation. Do you have evidence to back that up?

You do realise most parents are home educating not to abuse their kids or promote some weird ideology. It's because there is no educational provision that suits their children locally. Let's look at why schools are not meeting those needs.

I think that these DBS checks are long overdue. Many abused children have been off the radar of SS as they have been home schooled.

Unfortunately a lot of children who are taken out of school and 'home educated', ie not, are very likely to suffer neglect. At least in school the neglect can be picked up on. If you are actually home educating your children then you wouldn't mind being dbs checked.

I am sorry to hear that. But a DBS check would only have helped you if your abuser had a previous conviction.

@GraceandMolly for all children there are GPs, dentists, other health care professionals.

@DontLookBackInAnger1 properly organised drop off sessions for home Ed kids are held by people with all the relevant checks yes. Most groups which are run by 'just' parents are not drop off sessions, parents will stay.

School children often go to play at other children's houses. Im assuming they don't all have DBS checks? I let my children stay and play at their friends' houses when I know their parents enough to feel I trust them. That's no different to school kids/parents though.

For babies and toddlers there are health visitors and GPs.
Why would you be against a simple check like that? It takes 5 mins to fill out the DBS a application form.

The thing I don’t understand is how they can rationalise a DBS check on home educated children but not on those with children under school age. It makes no sense? So clearly they are lying about it being a safeguarding concern. The government want all children under their watch, singing from the same uniform government-approved curriculum. They don’t want parents having a say over their own children. Because ‘they’ know what is best for us brainless plebs.

I agree with this because I was home schooled and abused and I couldn't get help

There should only be monitoring of HE kids if there are safeguarding concerns. HE on its own is not a safeguarding concern.