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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be worried/annoyed about CRB check?

20 replies

NotTHATmental · 08/05/2009 17:40

Since having DD two years ago I have had a few postnatal mental problems, including a couple of times the police having to find me as I have been receiving messages (mainly through hearing voices) telling me to kill myself then have gone missing. I have been an inpatient at a mental ward for a couple of short stays. I have NEVER had any bad thoughts about DD. I have only ever wanted to harm myself, never anybody else. I am now pregnant, and completely off all medication with no symptoms touch wood

Anyway, I had to send off for a CRB to work with a local rainbows group, and it came back with a note from the local police saying that I had a history of mental illness and they felt it was relevant to me working with children as a rainbow leader. How on earth is it relevant??? Maybe it could be relevant if I was to be in sole charge of the children, in case I was to wander off and leave them in the midst of an episode, but I wouldn't do that, I seem to know even in the midst of problems that I need to look after dd and have never put her in any risk. I have extra support from surestart to cope with her, but that is mainly to help me avoid stress rather than concern for her.

Surely in a situation like this, it should be my mental health team that would give the report, not the police who simply manhandle me into a locked car, drive me to hospital, then sit starting at me till I am safely in the care of someone else.

It is my ambition to be a mental health social worker to help others, and I feel that this will really affect my chances of getting onto a course. Is there anything I could do?

OP posts:

londonone · 08/05/2009 17:47

It may well be that this isn't a problem but it is absolutely right that it is flagged up. Just because you really want to do something it doesn't mean you are necessarily suited to it.

MagNacarta · 08/05/2009 17:50

I don't think this would stand in the way of you being a mental health social worker - because of the very nature of the job. However I do think there is a point for noting your mental illness in the case of Rainbows. You know that you wouldn't put any children in danger, but these days the 'authorities' have to be very cautious. Think of an imaginary scenario where something did happen, if it came to light that the police knew of this and didn't mention it there would be an uproar.

I don't know how well you get on with the leaders at Rainbows, but could you not talk to them about it. More and more people have an understanding of mental health issues and most of us have or know someone who has suffered in some way. I think people are far more sympathetic than you might think.

screamingabdab · 08/05/2009 17:51

NotTHATmental

I wonder whether you should post this elsewhere, as I think you might get some more considered responses eg on Mental Health

I am not sure who could help you with your future plans, maybe call a Mental Health charity such as Mind, or SANE.I think Sane is particularly helpful in challenging discrimination.
Are you having regular contact with the mental health team, do you have a CPN?

I wish you good luck x

MummyDragon · 08/05/2009 17:57

Sorry NotTHATmental but I agree with londonone. I know you must have been through hell, but the law / CRB procedure exists for the protection of children. They can't afford to take chances. Sorry.

loobeylou · 08/05/2009 18:04

Did the Rainbow leader know BEFORE the CRB check? What have they said to you?

it is relevant, it is for child protection

I am a Rainbow leader myself and that alone would not stop me getting you to help, if I knew you and you had been upfront

chegirl · 08/05/2009 20:51

I dont think this should stop you from helping with a Rainbows group and I dont think the police are the best people to make that judgement. Having a history of mental health problems can mean anything from a period of mild PND to full blown psychosis!

If you had been unwell but NOT been picked up by the police it wouldnt have shown up on your CRB at all.

Its best to be open about it. Hopefully you can get round it somehow.

Having a mental health problem doesnt make you an automatic danger to kids FFS.

Kimi · 08/05/2009 21:01

I am sorry you have been unwell, but you have to see that maybe this is not something you can do.

I really would not like someone looking after my child who had problems like this, I am sorry but I was raised in this sort of environment and it is not good.

Worldsworstmummy · 08/05/2009 21:03

The police are really making a judgement though, they are just fulfilling their duty to disclose any interaction with you (apart from as a victim of crime or reporter of crime) that is logged with them. The whole point of CRB.

Don't take it personally, its just their job. There is no reason to suppose that you can't do the job anyway, but any employers need to make an informed decision with regards to child protection.

In most jobs you will be asked if you have had any number of health issues, and that includes mental health. You wouldn't have wanted to fib about it, not when it comes a job. It would be grounds for dismissal if you did have an episode and had not disclosed it before.

I had PND and had to declare it when I applied (and got) a support job at school. Just because there have been mental health issues in your past does not close every door to you. People are becoming much more enlightened about mental health, its not the automatic big no-no it used to be.

Good luck with both the job and your plans to train further. Your personal experience will really benefit any clients you have with those kind of issues.

Worldsworstmummy · 08/05/2009 21:05

Sorry, I meant not making a judgement.

junglist1 · 08/05/2009 21:25

Lots of people will have some form of mental illness at a time in their lives. Things like working somewhere they're going to enjoy can really help, even with the most serious illnesses such as schizophrenia. Hopefully, it will all work out OK, as you say, you won't be in sole charge.

Sassybeast · 08/05/2009 21:43

The police are oblidged to complete a CRB check as per their policy. It is now up to the rainbows leader to act on the information - her first point should be to talk to you directly.

MissSunny · 08/05/2009 21:47

Message withdrawn

fluffles · 08/05/2009 21:52

i've just done my disclosure (scottish version of crb) for girlguiding and it says on the letters about six times that something coming back on the disclosure/crb does NOT necessarily mean you can't work within girlguiding.

it may mean that your fellow guiders have to know but maybe not, disclosure certificates go to 'central records' not to the local guiders necessarily.

the police are only giving a note of dealings they've had with you, not saying you can't work with rainbows.

edam · 08/05/2009 22:32

Agree with screamingabdab, I'd get on to SANE or Mind for some advice about how to handle disclosure of your past mental health status.

I can see the logic that the police have to respond to a CRB check by disclosing any interaction with you. But it had never occurred to me that that would mean intruding into someone's medical history.

Tough one, as I can see why some posters are saying they would like to know that people working with their children - volunteers or staff - are stable.

tiredemma · 08/05/2009 22:42

Things like this really piss me off.

No wonder people with mental illness remain sigmatised and ostracised by society.

'Hearing voices' doesnt equate to 'child killer'

NotTHATmental- sincere best wishes for the future-

RumourOfAHurricane · 08/05/2009 22:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

bumpsoon · 09/05/2009 15:36

Can i just ask ( not that it makes any difference ) but did you have any mental health issues before your PND? It sounds like your PND was at the severe psycosis end of the spectrum and you have like most people in that situation fully recovered . If that is the case then the whole 'hearing voices ' thing is irrevlevant as it was a symptom of your PND and not a long term mental health issue . The cast majority of people in the uk will suffer some sort of mental health issue at some time and it really saddens me that as soon as you mentioned hearing voices people think this makes you a danger and paranoid schizophrenic Talk to the rainbow leader and explain the situation to her and good luck

tiggerlovestobounce · 09/05/2009 15:40

Its reasonable that the police passed on the information that they had about you, but they arent saying what should be done with that information, just passing it on.

If the rainbows leader does have any concern about this report then one option might be for you to ask someone from your mental health team to provide information to them regarding your present condition.

gagarin · 09/05/2009 15:53

There is no value judgement in the CRB check.

All that is noted on the return is that this person is known to us because...and the date of the event/s.

The Guides should have a procedure to deal with this issue - like .....speak to you ........and then take advice from their Safeguarding Officer ........ask for a bit of extra info perhaps from you, perhaps from your GP........and then make a decision

MummyDragon · 10/05/2009 09:29

bumpsoon: I certainly don't think that notthatmental is a danger or a paranoid schizophrenic, but I do think that her previous history of mental illness is relevant to her working with children. Purely because there is no guarantee that it won't happen again. I am in no way making any sort of judgment about you, notthatmental, and I actually do have quite a lot of experience of mental illness unfortunately, including a paranoid scizophrenic in my family and a suicide, so I am well aware that PND is a different illness.

However, ask yourself this question: if I am in a wheelchair and only have limited use of my arms, can I be a Rainbow leader without ANY special/extra measures being taken to ensure the safety of the children? Of course not. Equally, it does not prohibit me from being a Rainbow leader per se. That's what the CRB check is - ensuring the safety of children. It doesn't mean you can't help out at Rainbows, it means that there may need to be special procedures in place, or extra helpers, FOR YOUR PROTECTION as much as for the children's.

I also think that you were a bit naive not to realise that your history would be relevant, to tell the truth.

I do hope that it all works out for you and I hope you do get the job you want as I'm sure you would have loads of empathy for your clients and be extremely helpful to them. But I honestly don't think that you can expect to work with children without disclosing your history - that is incredibly arrogant I'm afraid. And as some other posters have already said, the police are not making a judgment about you, they are simply reporting their dealings with you. From what you've said, those dealing were pretty straightforward so surely they would actually support your case that you're not a danger to others?

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