CRB for parents taking other children to clubs, what about if they come over for a playdate?

[Ripeberry]

I understand the thing about people who ferry kids around needing a CRB, that goes without saying.
But do you think they would extend it to parents who arrange playdates?
One good thing about it though.
It may stop illegal CMs as most don't have CRB's

Because of a piece of paper we'll be more relaxed?

I'll be the same as ever. I'll use my own judgement.

Does anyone know when you can get this check from?

To the OP - it seems clear to me that the answer is for arrangements to be between parents, rather than with the club/organisation, in which case you will not need the check.

Unless they get their act in gear, whether or not people are willing to tolerate the intrusion will be the least of the problems. I know a head who says he can forsee having classes with no-one to teach them, and teachers sat at home, because not all the paperwork will have come through by the deadline.

I agree absolutely on the point made about it encouraging parents to trust a piece of paper above their own judgement, but I do think that one positive step forward is that it will be one check per individual and will be 'portable' - avoiding the daft situation of people having to have a separate check for every professional / voluntary activity.

Update from professional association. If you do 1:1 teaching or coaching and are hired by the parents, you won't need the check. If you are hired by a school or organisation, you will.

Stealth, I actually agree about the portability. The previous situation was a bit bonkers to say the least.

BoffonMum, these days do most parents not expect a music teacher to have a CRB check?

I have considerable sympathy with your views, by the way, I'm just surprised that any music teacher would get much custom without one.

And - afaics this scheme is simply an extension of the old scheme, and means that you only have to register once. I know freelance drama tutors who have been checked by about 6 different organisations. I have been checked twice, once by my organisation, and in the same week by an organisation fo whom I am an unpaid board member and never come into close contact with the young participants. Both cost the charities concerned the relevant fee, both are now out of date and I could have racked up a string of convictions since.

Also - it may not have been a legal necessity to have CRB checks in place until now, but few charities and (I would guess) no local authorities have funded organisations who emply un-CRB's people to work with children since, oooooooh, yonks ago.

You can't apply for a CRB check as an individual, it has to be through an approved organisation. Hence it is impossible for individual kusic teachers working as private teachers to get one (in reality many of them have them for doing peripatetic work in schools, but not everyone does that kind of work).

A parent has never asked me about CRB checks or anything like that because here's the thing that nobody's saying. The statistics mean that if their children are abused, it is 99.9% likely it will be by a bloke, not a married mum of four. That's why Nick must have had problems with Social Services in their pre-crime initiative.

IMO if we really cared about children we would stop them crossing the road or travelling in cars - these situations are many thousands of times more likely to harm or kill them than abusers. Obviously we're not happy to constrain our lives like that, so we go for the extremely rare but easy to spin option.

PS Bad stuff seems to be happening at the Rocking Horse Nursery ... by CRB checked people, presumably ...

CRB checks are, in reality worth less than the paper they're written on. My last CRB check for Brownies was 2004. I could have served a prison term since then! I turned up to help during that time so clearly haven't been in prison but new parents don't know that and still, presumably, trust the 2004 CRB because they've left their children with me. And although the checks aren't portable I've worked as a nanny using them and got babysiting work because parents, who DID want to know I wasn't a child-molesting axe murderer. However if you start objecting to CRBs people start getting edgy so it's lose-lose with the current system really:

Go along with it, it's a waste of money, a waste of time filling in forms

Don't go along with it, don't get the job/can't volunteer.

The new system would be a significant improvement if they weren't trying to fiddle with it and expand it to cover people it doesn't really need to. The other option would be for individuals to apply for the check, like my French check, which is portable because it just shows EVERYTHING the government know about me and my criminal record (which is precisely nothing because it's a sheet of paper with a black diagonal line).

i just don't get what the problem is - everyone who works with children paid or voluntarily needs to be crb checked - that is the point it - is the law, what is the point in getting our knickers in a twist about whether we think it right or wrong or beneficial, it means that someone convicted of a crime against children or living with someone convicted of a crime against children cannot work with children - this surely is a good thing.

It's a good thing IF they've been convicted and the CRB is done properly. It's a good thing IF it's done regularly enough to catch any convictions/charges. It's a good thing IF they've been caught.

I actually think it lulls people into a false sense of security, but as it stands it's got to be done so we have to go along with it really.

well the new crb check they are bringing in will be much better - it will be great to have just one for all settings that is constantly updated.

myself and my husband escort our 2 autistic daughters to and from school in a taxi. we do this voluntry as they are our children. is it compulsery to have the new crb vetting. we are( confused) as we have been doing this for over 3 years

Well wouldn't it be more sensible to be given a reference number (like a NI number)that means that you register as a person that works with children - it links to government databases and this can be checked as a new employee or periodically as a permanent employee and it flags up any problems (the various depatments would have to update the records). This way you are not having to have a new CRB check each time you have a living record - or is this too much like the ID scheme??

Plus I was going to say rather than the CRB that is only valid on the day

Round of applause from me for BoffinMum Sun 13-Sep-09 20:21:38