AIBU to want to know about DBS checks ?

[fridaynight]

Between them my Boys do quite a few extra curricular activities, with the new term starting I've been in touch with various sports coaches and music teachers, after a few texts or an email off we go. Not one of the coaches or music teachers has offered information on whether they have a DBS check , Golf , rugby, cricket, athletics , piano, drums - I'm just assuming everyone's got them, Now we've got an athletics day miles away with coach trip and one to one golf and I'm just feeling uneasy that I really don't know these people or any DBS details .
It's weird because I know most kids clubs go to huge efforts to get DBS's done. Do you think I will get people's backs up if I start asking about their DBS checks ?

Yeah dbs only shows things they have been caught for.

It's also worth noting though that these jobs are classed as notifiable occupations, so should they get arrested for a relevant offence then the police will contact the local area designated officer and they will let their work know etc.

*springtimevintagedream

What is irritating is that organisations insist on having their own*

But I can imagine why, for insurance, covering their own backs. Answering (or at least eliminating one reason) the question of you leaving your last job...

I found it annoying you can't apply for your own. When DC1 came along, I took a year off work. I did a little tutoring and was surprised I couldn't simply apply for my own CRB. In the end, no one ever asked.

Mine now follows me, rather than being attached to a school (IYSWIM)
I am peripatetic, so it made sense for me to register myself and pay the £13 a year top up.

How did you do that, or are you talking about a basic disclosure?

I know potatoes but it just might be better if there was one that followed you rather than the ridiculous and expensive system of multiple ones. At the moment it's nothing to do with keeping children safe but money.

I'm a teacher, I've taught in the same school for 9 years. I've had 3 different roles in that time but only one crb (as it was then) check when I was first appointed.

It is a normal DBS check here.

I had it done at one of the schools, but then you can elect to have it attached to you, instead of attached to the school, and whilst the original school kindly paid the £45 (??) for the first check, the DBS a company now email me, rather than the school, to update every year.
Sorry if I am not making much sense, I will try to find links

Our sports coaching licences aren't issued until you have sent off your DBS. Anyone who is a licenced coach in my sport will have one from within 2 yrs as then the licence needs renewing. Even if they coach adults only they wil still have them. We don't advertise things like 'all our coaches are DBS checked' because all coaches have to be (and managers and officials) so it is never thought of as a selling point.

it is called the Update Service

Much easier for me, as I used to have to have a separate CRB, old system one for each school, which they had to pay for, organise etc.
Now, I have a single enhanced DBS a that follows me around. This is handy for things like Brownies etc, where in the past I would have said "yes, I had a CRB check at XYZ school" , now I can say "here is my DBS a cert."

In reality they are permanently out of date as they won't show any convictions which have occurred since they were issued

because they don't need to. I suspect any conviction for something relevant would be all over the press and would be highly likely to attract a custodial sentence in any event and the very least a community service. Difficult to hide from an employer.

DBS checks are a complete waste of time. All they do is show that someone hasn't been caught yet. Bottom-protecting exercise for the organisation concerned and nothing more. The idea was that they would become portable but all the organisations are still applying for their own.

I worked in a library and didn't need one even though you'd think a library is a safe place for kids to go if they eg haven't been collected from school or need a refuge from bullying etc, yet as a school governor who was never on my own with the kids, I did. I have one from the sports body I volunteer with although again I'm never on my own with kids or vulnerable adults. It's all silly although has been scaled back a little from the mess it was left in by 2010. My employer also did one although I was a bit annoyed about that as my job role really has nothing to do with finance, kids or vulnerable adults. They took the mickey in my view but if you want a job you can't refuse - I think it may have only been a basic level one. My husband has been in his role for 20 years and was asked to allow his employer to carry one out recently. He works in a law firm and their financial services clients apparently ask for it. It would have really annoyed me but he agreed as he said he had nothing to hide. Neither do I but I would have refused in that instance.

They don't last a year they do not expire. It would be good practice to get one every 3 years but they are expensive and few clubs could afford to do it this often.

These days you can subscribe to the 'update service' which means that rather than showing your employer a piece of paper you give them the number and they check online (they do usually copy the paper one as well).

The online system is updated every month so better than having a piece of paper that is out of date the moment it is printed.

Some people do not have to pay for them, volunteers for example.

It's not ideal, but it is better than having to have one for each job/organisation - I once had to apply for three in 2 days.

I would not set any store by DBS checks. When we moved to UK, DH was asked to get one in order to accompany DS1 on Beaver Camp. We pointed out that as he was not a UK citizen and had only been in UK for three months it was pointless - and offered to get a CRB check from our previous country where we had been for 15 years. But the scouts insisted on doing it their way and he duly received his certificate. He could have been a serial killer just released from prison.

I don't understand why people rely so heavily on these checks, as others have said, it only shows whether people have been caught - for years I did voluntary work with a guy who had current checks up to date - turns out he was a very serious sex offender but had never been 'caught' and none of us had any idea - these people are really very, very clever. . He ended up with 10 years behind bars so you can imagine how serious the crimes were.

By all means, check with the club/organisation what their policies/procedures are for training the volunteers - and/or why not offer to get involved and help yourself?

I don't think people do, it's just become an arse covering thing when someone breathes the same air as an under 18 yo

lampygirl

Our sports coaching licences aren't issued until you have sent off your DBS. Anyone who is a licenced coach in my sport will have one from within 2 yrs as then the licence needs renewing. Even if they coach adults only they wil still have them. We don't advertise things like 'all our coaches are DBS checked' because all coaches have to be (and managers and officials) so it is never thought of as a selling point

But a layman wouldn't know that the DBS is necessary for the coaching licence.
Not exactly a selling point, I agree. It would never occur to me to enquire one way or another, but if it were somewhere in the literature, it could be a minor selling point.

I suppose that the checks might be helpful in putting off convicted offenders. But I don't pay too much attention to them as, sadly, most offenders are not caught and convicted.

Moose has the best advice, I think, to be vigilant and to equip kids to protect themselves as far as possible. I think it's important to reassure children that most adults are harmless, too, though.

CRB was one per organisation, DBS is for you not the organisation, but each one is entitled to do their own to cover their own backsides/for insurance reasons. Technically you only need one if you are (or are likely to be) in a 1:1 situation with a child. At work they are always with their teacher or parent, in the rare situations where they are on their own (eg. first aid incident/found child) then it is our safeguarding policy to call another member of staff (usually from the safeguarding team who are all enhanced checked). Volunteers don't pay for them, and if your volunteer organisation says it has to you can get it done through your local voluntary service for free.
If you are working with children, especially in a 1:1 capacity, it is standard to be asked if you have one so their leader/coaches/clubs etc shouldn't be offended. I was asked for mine by a school just to enter the building (at home time) so while it can be an inconvenience it's just something you get used to.

I am a volunteer for a musical theatre group all of us have not only DBS checks, but chaperones licences too ( so have been interview by children's services). We wear our licences which have photos on them at rehearsals so parents are aware. No one has ever asked me more detail.

I've been a Brownie leader for 10 years, and I've only been asked about CRB/DBS checks once. That was when we had a girl who boarded at a local school, so the the school required copies of the CRB certificates of all the leaders. I'm always astounded that parents are willing to leave their kids with total strangers, and want no proof that we are even members of Girlguiding! We could be anyone!

I did recently get asked for a copy of my DBS and First Aid qualifications for a babysitting job (I had advertised that I had these).

I do worry that people think that DBS is some kind of magic "get out of jail free card". Abusers can and do pass DBS checks if they've never been caught. It makes it less likely, for sure, but is no substitute for vigilance and common sense.

I do worry that people think that DBS is some kind of magic "get out of jail free card". Abusers can and do pass DBS check if they've never been caught. It makes it less likely, for sure, but is no substitute for vigilance and common sense.

Not only are they not a magic card but all this 'you have not been caught yet' is nonsense. Ian Brady could apply for and get a DBS. It would show convictions for murder but he would still have a DBS.

Organisations have their own policies, I know of one scout group that has someone they consider to be safe with children but who is not considered safe by the local guides group they sometimes work with.

Thanks for feedback some very helpful points lampygirl , moose and ragwort . We all go to so much effort to get these DBS s I've got a few myself , it would just seem to make sense to tell people we've got them. If I was doing tutoring I would make a point of saying here's my DBS.
Just dropped DS off at a fairly deserted golf course with slight misgivings , kids are so vulnerable , having said that DS is taller than me and has golf club to hand !!