DBS and soft play

[Bareoness]

AIBU to have assumed that’s staff at soft play / play cafe places etc have a DBS?

I was at a party at one a few days ago and saw a petition this particular soft play had set up. The petition was to have this matter discussed in parliament in the hope of making it law. I’ve linked the petition.

I realise a basic DBS are only as good as the day it is granted and someone could go out and commit a crime the very next day and it won’t show, but surely that’s not a reason not to have them?

I also realise that in most cases you supervise your own child at these places. But I’m sure some of you will have been to these places and lost sight of your child for 5mins or they’ve legged it off to the loos without you knowing.

It just seems such a basic not to enforce and are t basic ones about £25 so not hugely costly (that said I realise small businesses are struggling).

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/748554?fbclid=IwY2xjawPJhzBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETB4a080Z3dlcUZPTThPVk1wc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHvPIgJzX2ohxyYcY62gOJw_wOQhS0kRYnv08BZ5D-skg_qEyI57_fWz5DlkS_aem_X_--qj0nBTkapl-uVDTaug

AIBU - excessive and not needed.

Not unreasonable - seems sensible to have even if not foolproof.

DBS on my teenager for work took forever to come back, i imagine the turnover would be too high.

As someone who is campaigning regarding how the military deal with sexual assualts and crimes and set a petition up I befriended a lady who had been the subject of one such perpetrator, He has a 20 year span of sexual crimes in the military and is being investigated by several police forces himself. He holds an Enhanced DBS would you believe and has more than 3 disclosures on Clare's law too !! As someone who also requires an Enhanced DBS this has really shocked me.

That's unexpected. I'm a licensed chaperone and I have to renew my DBS every year.

I get where you're coming from op but where would this end? People who work in toy shops would they need one too?

I've always worked on the basis that I'm responsible for my children at soft play and that I need to know where they are all times

Bless I think op is a few signatures away from making a difference

You supervise your child , it isn't child care

No, that’s ridiculous. Parents have to take responsibility in these situations.

I seem to be in a minority but I would expect somewhere that’s aimed at young children to employ staff who have had a DBS, I’m surprised they don’t.

What a daft assumption to make OP. Soft play staff are reception and food workers!

You should be supervising your own DC at soft play anyway, and others shouldn't have to bear the inevitable higher prices to cover the increased admin costs this would incur.

Why?

Unfortunately, because jobs like that are a bit of a beacon for sex offenders. It is probably true that any danger is minimal and of course parents should be supervising but at the same time, the assumption in most of those places is that the children go and play while the adults sit down. And it’s not possible to supervise 100% if you have more than one child either.

Unfortunately, because jobs like that are a bit of a beacon for sex offenders.

In soft plays? I thought the ones who were trying to target kids through their work weee more likely to choose something where you actually build up relationships with individual kids and get time with them by themselves.

Anything that gets proximity to children

I guess it depends when the Pp was chikd minding ?
Bearing in mind CRB as it was then known only came after Ian Huntley was convicted ,and that was in the early 00,s
I was a mental health nurse up until about 10 years and only had one random CRB check in 20 or so years as it just wasent checked for when I qualified in the mid 90,s.

Yes but it woukd be extremely risky behaviour to target a child in soft play and they would likely get caught straight away.

Not all abuse involves targeting and grooming, though: it is worth bearing that in mind.

You’re meant to sign up to the annual update service…

No but it would still be extremely risky behaviour and likely to get attention straight away.

They only brought in CRB/DBS checking in the early 00,s after Ian Huntley its entirely possible the Pp was working as a childminder before it came in.

To answer a few points:

I agree the turn over of staff is probably high, but not sure that’s not a reason to do something.

I also agree, as I set out in my OP, there is a cost burden. Again, not sure that’s not a reason to do something although accept it could be too high a burden for some places.

In case there is a suggestion otherwise, I do remain responsible for my kids at these places. I may have a coffee, but I certainly don’t sit and scroll on my phone/engage in deep conversations with others. However, some of these places are huge and you can’t see all around them. You will not have eyes on your child at all times. Not unless you are allowed in the structure and stay with them the whole time (I’ve done that in places where it is allowed).

Someone mentioned about it helping inform the wider recruiting process, which I agree with. However someone else mentioned about someone whose offences don’t appear. I don’t pretend to understand how these things work but that is a shocking story!

I assumed, like another poster that this type of role may be attractive to a sex offender and requiring a DBS would discourage application.

If anyone knows how to report the post (someone explained I had put it in wrong area or shouldn’t have posted at all), do let me know. But I’m going to try and raise with mods. @moderators

Oh and for the “bless need a few more signatures” comment, it’s not my petition, I hadn’t even noted the number it was on and I’m hoping you’ve made your day better by being condescending!

I didn't realise how relaxed the process used to be. I turned 18 in the year 2000 and every voluntary role I've done has involved CRB/ DBS checks and annual updates

Is there any proof of this?

Is there any proof that people sexually attracted to children try to get jobs that put them in close proximity to children?

Erm …

No, is there any proof that people sexually attracted to children target this one particular role that involves admin and/or food prep rather than actual interaction?

That's not a trick question. I do actually want to know.

That isn’t what I said at all, and it is just coming across as unnecessarily argumentative to be honest.

I mean, most soft plays are for under eights (as a rough guide) so if you don’t think that’s a job with close proximity to children we won’t agree and there probably isn’t much point in a back and forth.