would you employ a nanny/au-pair.....

[KemalsStilletto]

....without a CRB? I am looking to get out of my current job and get back into nannying. I have 5 years experience, a nice personality, very friendly etc, etc. There aren't many jobs in my area on the nannyjob website which come from parents, they're all from nanny agencies which need CRB checks and because I only get paid 40.00 per week in my current job, I cannot afford one so it's so hard me getting a nanny job with an agency!

No. I'm afraid the very question would make me suspicious. In the right circumstances I would reimburse someone for having the check done (so long as it came back clear). I would have thought an agency might do that too.

I would expect this as a minimum. Think of it as an investment.

Absolutely not! Sorry, it would just leave me very suspicious.

No, I wouldnt consider it. Agree with seeing it as an investment.

Pardon the stupid foreigner here, but what exactly is a CRB check? I know of it of course but I don't really know what they look for? Is it just a UK thing?

Nope, no way. I wouldn't consider it.

Would an agency not cover the cost for you? Otherwise I think you would definitely have to regard it as an investment.

Criminal Records Bureau. It's a 'police check' fro convictions.

but, it only checks UK records, right? surely foreign nannies don't have this?

I would. Bad mum.

I don't get CRB checks for my au pairs. I hire them young and figure they don't have a lot of 'history'. Also, I don't leave them alone with the children for long periods of time.

You can do some amount of checking via the CRB of people who have lived abroad.

As for getting a CRB check done, I recommend that you see to this ASAP - it can take a month or two to come through. You have to do it via an agency, AFAIK (there are independent agencies set up for doing CRB checks - it doesn't have to be a nanny agency). I recently had a CRB check done by a teaching supply agency, and they paid for it.

Uwila,

A CRB - criminal records bureau - check is a review of your criminal records. The enhanced disclosure (required for carers of children and vulnerable adults) can pull up records that wouldn't appear on a standard prosecution/conviction history check (where convictions are spent after a certain number of years). Obviously, if you have never been arrested for anything, the record will be blank.

There is a big emphasis on the CRB check to verify any identifying documents you have - which is why it goes through approved checkers - compared to the old police certificates.

Oh well, looks like I wont be a nanny for a little while longer then! All the agencies round here require me to buy a CBR. They won't pay for one.

What does it cost - £35? Can't you look upon it as an investment in your future?

at the moment i get 40.00 per week with only 5.00 left for deodrant etc...

Maybe you could save up for it! What about borrowing from family or friends? Or doing some extra work?

The sooner you get your nanny job, the sooner you'll be earning enough to make the CRB check seem insignificant.

What job are you doing now? Presumably it is a live in position?

If cash is that tight then perhaps you could offer to help out for a charity. I have been CRB-checked as I help out with a Sunday School. The church paid for the check.

What about if you look for a nanny job, and offer that if the parents will pay for the check, they can then take the price of the CRB check (assuming you pass it and get hired) out of your first pay cheque.

To be honest, I think I might hire someone without a CRB check. In fact, I haven't asked for one yet. But, none of my nannies have been British so that would be a bit pointless.

Kemal (odd name you have chosen), for what it's worth, I would offer someone without a CRB check a job, and would apply for the CRB on their behalf. BUT they wouldn't be left alone with my son until it came through, hence they would be paid less.

Right, so I've been reading a bit about CRB checks . What type of check do you get? Standard? Enhanced?

I think this thread raises an important question. Do those of us who hire nannies without an agency actually conduct this check? And, if so, does this mean that you run an equivalent check on a foreign nanny? Or do you hire only British nannies? And if you hire only british, then is the CRB check a reason to hire a british nanny -- or at least one who is resident here? And what exactly is the difference between standard and enhanced CRB checks? If a nanny fails this check do you ask why and then make your decision or do you tick them off the list on the mere fact that they failed the check regardless of why?

If you work with children or vulnerable adults, then it's an enhanced check.

There is no legal requirement for nannies to be CRB checked, AFAIK.

But what is the difference in the CRB checks? What information actually comes back on an enhanced check that does not come back on standard or basic checks? And, if you employ a nanny through an agency, do you see the check or do they just tell you she passed (or failed)?

If you work with children or vulnerable adults, then it's an enhanced check.

There is no legal requirement for nannies to be CRB checked, AFAIK.

www.disclosure.gov.uk describes the different kinds of checks. The enhanced check looks at a wider range of records than the standard one.

There's no pass/fail as such on the check. The person that ordered the check will get a copy of the records that exist under the categories searched. It's up to them to decide whether they are willing to employ someone in light of those records.

somr agencies will pay for your CRB check for you... as they cant place you without one

i got mine paid for by the nanny agency i used

Righty, I'm looking at my own enhanced disclosure...

What is gives is a list of categories where records may be held on you. These categories are:

Police records of convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings

Information from Section 142 of the Education Act 2002

Protection of Children Act list

Protection of Vulnerable Adults list

Other information at the Chief Police Officer(s) discretion.

Like the vast majority of people, it says simply "none recorded" in each of the categories.

I believe for the standard disclosure, it only lists the conviction, caution etc. category.

I don't think employers generally see the CRB check. A copy goes to the registrar (who will represent the employer) and the applicant (the individual concerned). Usually the registrar, such as a nanny agency, will simply state to their clients that the applicant is "CRB-checked".

With the agency I use I see the CRB report (as well as details of diplomas, first aid certificate etc). But the agency wouldn't send a candidate who wasn't at least CRB-ed and had a valid first aid certificate (though they may not have a childcare qualification!).

Personally I'm not that convinced that the CRB check adds anything to my selection process (and I definitely wouldn't confine my search to UK nannies just for this), as I believe that the scheme still has significant flaws (though post Ian Hunter these might be remedied). But I would be concerned about a candidate who had avoided the CRB process altogether.