To not know what I was doing in summer 2002?

[manysummersago]

It was nearly twenty years ago, but I do know I was not in prison, or serving community service, which my clean dbs attests to.

I am not being flippant about safeguarding but AIBU to think that this sort of approach isn’t helpful?

I need way more information than that to understand what you are talking about!

Why are you being asked? For a job?

I was at school in 2002!

Sorry! Assuming everyone knows safeguarding procedures!

So any ‘gaps’ on your cv where you aren’t in employment or study (so in my case, graduated July 2002, didn’t start back at university until October 2002) you have to explain what you were doing.

I have no idea. Nothing sinister, but I doubt I was doing anything much!

Not sure what you mean by “this sort of approach” but surely it should be relatively easy to work out what you were doing?

X posts. Can you really not remember whether you had a summer job or something?

No one means the summer between two university courses. You...had summer.

Aren't they asking generally for you to say that you took the summer after graduation to spend time with friends/go travelling/have a part-time job rather than a diary entry for each day? If the former, presumably you know generally what you were doing? If the later, clearly that's virtually impossible!

I know it isn’t a diary entry for every day - but I genuinely am not sure what job I had (I did a lot and they all merged into one) but also it feels a bit daft given that I could say ‘yes, I worked at the Kings Head that summer behind the bar’ and could well be lying (I probably will have to fib!)

Not quite cats I graduated from one university then started at another so there is a Gap, which clearly means I was up to no good! Just seems really silly.

How about 'work experience'.

I agree with you, I'm 50 and when I applied for my current job, I had to include addresses in the UK as well as in Ireland. I was exhausted trying to remember it all. Now I'm scared that when I go for the next grade up, if I remember it slightly differently will that flag up as something dodgy.

You're being a bit obtuse here.

Just because you know you weren't in custody they still need a record of what you claim to have been doing.

"Casual summer bar work" with one of the pubs you can remember is fine.

Mmm but the thing is around I could make up any old nonsense but surely that’s the opposite of actually keeping (in this instance, children) safe?

Why myhobby? And I’m certainly not meaning to be obtuse - why do they need that?

Unemployed? Casual work? Summer 2002 I had my first baby but I couldn’t tell you what I did summer 2000. Pissed around a lot with my mates I think.

A couple of months over a summer does not count as a gap in your CV. You don't have to explain it.

I’ve been asked to explain it.

'3 month sabbatical'. Job done.

August - September: Summer holiday, waiting for new university course to start.

That's all you need.

"which clearly means I was up to no good! Just seems really silly."

Because you're making the DBS check all
about you rather than those it is designed to protect.

Say Tom was in custody for short periods but attended education and undertook casual work in between. Would it be ok for the system to allow him to pick and choose where he leaves an unexplained gap? A gap that then can't possibly be verified?

No. But because you think it's "silly" and can't imagine how someone might use that to their advantage, the system must be wrong?

@myhobbyisouting

"which clearly means I was up to no good! Just seems really silly."

Because you're making the DBS check all
about you rather than those it is designed to protect.

Say Tom was in custody for short periods but attended education and undertook casual work in between. Would it be ok for the system to allow him to pick and choose where he leaves an unexplained gap? A gap that then can't possibly be verified?

No. But because you think it's "silly" and can't imagine how someone might use that to their advantage, the system must be wrong?

Well then Tom's criminal record would show that wouldn't it?

But that would surely be picked up on a DBS check, myhobby?

I certainly think safeguarding is important but it should make sense. I think the problem is if you do want a break from employment: to travel or be a SAHM or even to say recover from an illness you then have to explain yourself years later when strictly speaking it’s not really anyone’s business.

I do appreciate the suggestions but it wasn’t really intended as an advice thread (that is 100% not me being rude, just explaining!)

"Well then Tom's criminal record would show that wouldn't it?"

Not if the employer wants to run only a basic check and the convictions are spent, no.

"But that would surely be picked up on a DBS check, myhobby?"

Depends which one they want to pay for.

It’s an enhanced dbs check - to be honest, if someone has spent time in custody, is trying to get a job working with children, and their employer only run a basic check then that throws up a lot of safeguarding problems but none which are solved by expecting someone who has been in and out of custody to be honest about that!