to think this is OTT and then some?

[Helenagrace]

I was tempted to namechange for this as I'm sure someone will scream troll. I am a regular non-namechanged poster and this is, sadly, very real.

My DS is a Beaver. In a couple of months time there is an overnight camp followed by a fun day. The children will stay overnight in the camp and then parents are invited to join in the activities from 10am.

I have just been told that unless I am CRB checked I cannot go to the fun day. I am not helping in any way. I am not looking after anyone else's child. I am responsible for my child alone. I am just going to enjoy the activities.

I have questioned this and the reply is that it is Scout policy that ALL adults on ANY campsite MUST be CRB cleared. No CRB form and you're not allowed on site. I pointed out that this goes way beyond any sensible guidance on how the CRB system should be operated. The Beavers' leaders have said that I must be CRB checked "because otherwise I might go into the toilets and there might be another child in there and I might get accused of something". I've pointed out that I could have all the shiny CRB clearances in the land and still be accused of something.

Apparently a local Cubs group runs a family camp and has CRB checked 300 parents this year alone. None of them are helpers, they are just attending with their own families.

I am planning to take this up with Scouts national HQ. I am not being unreasonable am I?

Sounds mad but I suppose the issue is the funday is presumably being managed by the Scouts so they have full responsibility - but still I think its over the top - at that rate every adult should be crb checked - and probably it'll make no difference

I think CRB checks give people a completely false sense of security. Lots of abusers gets to horrifying amounts of children before they even get accused, never mind charged or convicted.

However, I have friends who were sexually abused at scout camp so I can see both sides. The man concerned would have CRB checked fine at the time, though.

So, in short, I've got splinters in my arse.

I can see why a CRB check seems OTT when applied to yourself but I guess if there is another cub's parent with a relevant conviction you would prefer them not to be taking part in activities with your child? Just playing devil's advocate here.

Just get everyone CRBeed when they reach 18.
Problem solved.

It is ridiculous. You are there as parents and, as a pp said, it onlyproves that you have never been convicted, nothing else.

I'll be interested to know what Scout HQ have to say.

YANBU, that is really stupid. No wonder it is taking my friend who has just qualified as a nurse so friggin long to get her CRB cleared.

Having seen the hell it causes when a person is not CRB cleared and abuses a child, I think it's a hoop worth jumping through even though 99.99% of parents are safe to be with your kids

That is ridiculous
Who will pay the cost?
To CRB ALL the parents (and paid for by the scouts) would surely cost a fortune!

I think this is all down to your troop's interpretation of the need for CRB checks. This came up at ours with regard to a family camp, but it was decided it wouldn't be necessary. However, I've been CRB checked just so I can take the minutes at the troops meetings, when there's not an under 18 in sight.

I work in a special school so need a CRB for work and it is "rules" like this that mean my form can takes months to come back. Please complain, it is completely ridiculous.

"I guess if there is another cub's parent with a relevant conviction you would prefer them not to be taking part in activities with your child?"

But that could be the same parent who, the very next day, has unsupervised access to little your Jonny behind closed doors. How? Simply by inviting Jonny to tea with his/her own DC. Or do we/should we ask for a cleared CRB doc from other parents before we allow our kids to go to tea with their friends?

Helenagrace, YANBU, your son's Beaver group sure is OTT.

I don't get what a CRB is for. My abuser was a normal guy who was staying with us. People who have multiple obvious convictions don't go walking onto a scout camp. The whole "you might be accused" thing makes zero sense. What would happen if you were accused? You would just say "I have a CRB check!" and they'd go "Oh alright then!"

It's bollocks, like the whole liquid things at airports, it's just something to make people think there's action being taken when in fact nothing is being done. It's all about covering their considerable arses.

You could potntially kill someone the day after you get cleared, so although i see the point of crb they are not particularly effective.

What did the top scout man etc say??

Its just ridiculous! If you were staying over/in a position of responsibility etc then of course but not just as a parent in an activity day. 'just in case' you have contact with someone else's chld? Then we must really crb check all parents who wl onto the school playground to pick up their childrens. madness!

Only CRB? Count yourself lucky! There is also now a PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) check (in Scotland). More bureaucracy, red tape, hoops...even needed now (retrospectively)for Kinship carers (who have been caring for a related child, in some cases for years. And don't get me started on the essential Support Workers who need to be PVG'ed for every role they carry out, even within the same L.A!

Wholly understand CRB and think it's a necessity in many instances, but CRB + PVG is red tape gone potty!

that's a load of crap. We have a beaver's camp in May (I'm an assistant leader) and parents can come to the activities the afternoon of the camp (and take home anyone who isn't staying for the night). You are just not allowed to leaver people without CRBs with other people's children unsupervised.

We regularly have parent helpers at beavers too - many of them are not CRB checked. Again someone with a CRB just stays with them, for example they don't take DCs to the toilet but help with activities in teh main hall.

YANBU, it's absurd and really very sad. It's a mindless, thoughtless knee-jerk response to a perfectly normal wish to be there for the day.

Who pays for all these checks? Are the Scouts footing the bill? Because it's not cheap, one check per attending parent.

Please let us know what the response from HQ was.

I bet its come from some H&S-gone-mad type people pressurising scouts ect. Yes, it might seem like a really good way of being safe, however CRB checking everyone for a fun day, won't do much good, i don't think. I could understand it more if you were going to the camp & staying overnight..

When i was at guides, nothing like that ever happened...

I imagine in this instance, a CRB is used specifically to determine whether the adult in question has ever been convicted of child abuse / sexual abuse wrt to children.

Any adult who has done the above should maybe still be inside then, if they are such a threat to children? Just pondering out loud. This would, of course, negate the need for CRB checks wrt to trips like this.

Weren't there new government rulesi ntroduced where anyone having any contact with any child would have to be checked? So in theory if a sports club asked pparents to drive their own children and 2 friends to an away match, they would have to be CRBed, because they had access to other children. So the Scouts are just following govt policy.

It's bollocks. It's not Scout policy at all. That troop/patrol perhaps, but not Scouts in general.