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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is why more parents don’t volunteer

243 replies

Hoppinggreen · 04/05/2018 09:36

So DH has been asked by a teacher (via DS) to help with a certain after school club where he has expertise. He is happy to do it and will finish work early that day to do it. So far so good BUT Aibu to think that the hoops he has to jump through to do it are a bit ott?
Firstly he has had to fill in a 10 page document, then he has to have a DBS, then he has to complete an online safeguarding course, attend an induction in School and present 2 forms of ID “to make sure he is who he says he is”
DH works on a govt contract and has high level security and 2 current DBS certs ( one less than 6 months old). We have also had children at the school for the past 8 years and I am well known to the school as well ( for the right reasons!). He has volunteered there before but as it was over 12 months ago he has to do all this for 1 hour once a week where he will be accompanied by a teacher anyway.
He works full time, some times with long hours and is a highly paid expert in this subject - if I hadn’t offered to sort most of this out for him I doubt he would be bothering
So Aibu to think this is a bit excessive? What do other schools do?
I know that safeguarding is important but all this will tell them is that he has no convictions, nothing else.

OP posts:
theeyeofthestormchaser · 04/05/2018 09:39

Why does he have to fill in a 10-page document AND do a DBS? What does the document cover? You have to fill in an online form for the DBS.

The DBS will ask for 3 forms of ID, which you take in to the school, so I'm not sure why the school then needs to see more ID.

I imagine the school wouldn't be doing it if they didn't have to, but it does sound excessive. That's bureaucracy for you...

KathyBeale · 04/05/2018 09:40

My police officer best friend was a DI in CID when her oldest started reception. She also had to jump through those hoops. She thought it was hilarious.

Original poster
Hoppinggreen · 04/05/2018 09:41

The document is an internal school safeguarding document. He did that first and then they do the dbs based on the info on there.

OP posts:
LoniceraJaponica · 04/05/2018 09:42

Rotherham
Soham
Telford
Many more

I had to pass a DBS check to be a school governor. I imagine anywhere that involves being with children or vulnerable people would do this now.

BossBaby7 · 04/05/2018 09:43

I think its right and shoupd require 2 verified references too.

WomanEqualsAdultHumanFemale · 04/05/2018 09:46

If something happened at all while he was in the room with the class the first question asked would be “were all the proper checks done?” We all know that some people have harmed children. We can’t tell by looking who those people are. So, everyone has to have the checks. It’s to protect your children.

mindutopia · 04/05/2018 09:48

I think that sounds reasonable. Schools need to keep children safe and they have no idea of his background, high security job or not. We have someone in our life (or had...) who was a very nice man, retired from a management position, well-loved by his grandkids and family, etc. He spent a lot of time around my dd (thankfully never unsupervised) and then 10 years down the line we found out he had a previous conviction for sexual assault on a child and had served several years in prison!! You truly never know, no matter how nice and we’ll-respected someone is. Parents and the school need the reassurance that children are being kept safe. If he wants to volunteer, he should jump through the hoops.

MarklahMarklah · 04/05/2018 10:04

I had to be DBS checked to be a school governor too. However, if a current cert. is in place, then I'm not sure why another is needed. I say this as some time ago I helped run a course for late teens/young adults and one of the requirements was that all staff must be DBS checked. I took along my existing one (for the school governor role) and this was deemed acceptable.

I've also had to undertake safeguarding courses in my role as a school governor (and these have to be re-done at regular intervals).

Original poster
Hoppinggreen · 04/05/2018 10:06

I agree that a dbs should be done
However, all these documents etc show is that he currently has no convictions and that’s all.
He will do it but I can see how it might put some parents off volunteering

OP posts:
Pheasantplucker2 · 04/05/2018 10:09

You can now port a dbs if he has an existing one. Makes much more sense to me. Surely better to have a personal dbs that is checked and renewable annually rather than lots for different places that then don't get checked again for ages. X

applesisapple5 · 04/05/2018 10:09

... you can also see how it could put off people who are actively looking to target vulnerable people/children.

Cousinit · 04/05/2018 10:10

Crikey. YANBU. I live overseas and we have nothing like this. Parents are actively involved in helping at our school and aren't required to fill in anything.

WomanEqualsAdultHumanFemale · 04/05/2018 10:10

However, all these documents etc show is that he currently has no convictions and that’s all.

Well currently that’s all we can show. We don’t have the ability to read people’s minds so we do what we can. It’s better than not doing the checks surely? If we didn’t then people who do have convictions for abusing children could work in schools unhindered.

MrsPepperpot79 · 04/05/2018 10:11

That's the way of schools now - yes it feels onerous but it is all about keeping children safe. And unless the DBS he has is "portable" (you have to pay extra for this) then you need a dbs for each school's local authority. A work one is unlikely to have this - and the local authority/academy unlikely to accept it.

I'd rather have the hoops than something go wrong...

isseywithcats · 04/05/2018 10:13

for a time i had a job cleaning in a school no children in the building they left when we came in and i still had to have a dbs check and two references so this dosent sound excessive if he is working with children

Kazzyhoward · 04/05/2018 10:13

Same with work experience placements. I was approached by a teacher and readily agreed to take a pupil who was interested in accountancy. Then came the paperwork. I can understand them wanting the fundamentals, such as insurance documents, but they also wanted a long list of things I simply didn't have, such as equal opportunities statements, disciplinary policies etc - I don't have any as I didn't have any employees. I contacted the school and they just glibly suggested I copy & paste from the internet or buy an employment law package - considering the amount of time/expense, I sadly just withdrew my offer to help them. What I found was absolutely no common sense, flexibility etc - they were just jobsworths. A shame really that some pupil didn't get the experience that may well have helped them, but hey-ho.

mummyof2boys30 · 04/05/2018 10:14

We are in NI but we have to do an access NI check (similar to DBS). You have to do it for every club your involved in. So i volunteer in 2 clubs so 2 different checks. Also all comittee members have to have access NI, safeguarding training and first aid if possible to be on committe or volutnery role

PinkbicyclesinBerlin · 04/05/2018 10:21

I know what you are saying OP it can be a complete PITA for volunteers.

We have a slightly different DBS system where I am. I had to fill the same system out 3 times in 3 weeks, 1 for work, 2 others for volunteering for the same check up each time, a total PITA.

Volunteering in some roles has also gone very professional, large time investments required in training RNLI, mountain rescue etc, which again brings huge hoops to jump through. I guess it is particularly unattractive to those of us with limited time available due to work commitments.

But after saying all of that c’est la vie, safeguarding is enormously important.

FluffyHippo · 04/05/2018 10:24

If people are put off volunteering because they don't want to do some basic, vital safeguarding checks, then they're hardly committed to helping, are they? I'm not sure I'd want a volunteer with such a cavalier, selfish attitude towards children's safety in my school...

MissionItsPossible · 04/05/2018 10:24

It sounds excessive but I can understand the schools stance as well. They would be hounded by the media if something bad happened and it turned out that checks hadn't been made and even if they had they'd still get a mauling.

Allthebestnamesareused · 04/05/2018 10:25

Once you have a DBS you can sign up to subscribe annually (£13) and this is then portable and obviously quicker. That should save some time.

Original poster
Hoppinggreen · 04/05/2018 10:26

He is basically filling in the same forms etc as a full time staff member for going 1 hour a week WITH a teacher and if he intended to harm a child none of these forms would stop him from doing that
As I said he (I) will be doing all this as DS is desperate for him to do the class but I can see that some people might think it’s not worth the hassle.
Looks like Aibu then so fair enough

OP posts:
TheStoic · 04/05/2018 10:26

YABU. If you’re put off by some paperwork, you’re not cut out for volunteering.

DairyisClosed · 04/05/2018 10:28

YABU. I wouldn't want my children to be placed under the care of a complete stranger without at least a DBS.

gabsdot · 04/05/2018 10:28

I've recently had to have police checks done to volunteer in my church. I have a police clearance already for my job but I had to do it all again.

I don't mind but I can't help thinking that probably the majority of people who are dangerous to have around children haven't been caught and so would pass a police check. It's still so important to have proper safe guarding in place.