Do you have a CRB to help out at your DCs school, and did you have to pay for it?

[eleusis]

I was at a PTA meeting last night and it was mentioned that the PTA board members need a CRB check. And that it costs the school £50 for each one. But, I thought if you needed it in order to volunteer (asopposed to paid work) it was free.

I've just had mine done and afaik it was free. I too thought it only cost if it was for a paid job.

Ah, it's no cost to the parent. The school pays for it. But, the school doesn't really have money to burn, so I wondered whether this is really the case. If people who volunteer at church get the CRB checks for free... then shouldn't people who volunteer at school get the same?

here it says admin costs are £5.50 - £7

Was filling a CRB form in yesterday and I checked on CRB website yesterday and it said volunteers didn't have to pay. I presume this is the case or our school wouldn't be encouraging us all to have one to help out with reading, trips, swimming etc. Is it true that the check takes at least 6 weeks? And do we still need to have a referee: the website seemed to say this wasn't the case?

parents don't pay for it but the school does

I think it's free for volunteers. At DD1's school everyone was encouraged to get one (through the school) if you thought you would ever help out or go on a trip etc. It took weeks and weeks to come through, that probably depends on the city council. Did not need a referee.

I just spoke to a nice man at the Criminal Record Bureau, and he confirmed that volunteers at school should not be charged for the CRB check.

If you or your school is being charged, I suggest the CRB are taking a sizable chunk from School budgets. And I just think this is wrong. School budgets are hardly busting at the seems.I hate to see them spending money unnecessarily.

0870 9090811

Also see: www.crb.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=1871

Where we are (Richmond upon Thames) although the CRB does not charge for the checks, the LEA charges to administer them. So it costs our school £15 every time it checks somebody via the LEA. For some reason, the LEA seems to require schools to carry out all their checks via them. We have asked parents to pay if they are willing, but of course if they are not the school will cover the costs.

This is really confusing, CRB do charge when they can -- preschool ones get subsidised (for the whole £50) by Ofsted, for instance. I can't face right now ringing CRB for myself about this, but I suspect that SOMEONE still pays something in all cases, volunteers or not.

Were you told how PTA members or parent helpers should apply in order to receive fully free (nobody pays anything) CRB checks, elueusis? Do they enclose a cover letter saying that they are a "volunteer"? I have to organise this for my own PTA, so would be very handy to know!

Singers, same borough. And I thought they said fifty pounds last night, but maybe I misheard "fifteen"? And that this is the LEA charging schools parents... I'm struggling a bit with the concept that the LEA makes revenue from the individual schools...seems wrong still. But, hey ho, little old me is not going to change that one.

lljkk, I don't think it matters who they are. So long as you are not paid to do your job, you should not have to pay for the CRB.

I wonder how much money the Richmond LEA is making out of the schools in the borough for these CRB checks. I think our CRB check budget is around £500... and how many primaries are in the borough?? 20? (that's wild guess) That's £100k for the LEA? Yikes! Okay, I must be jumping to conclusion. This can't be right.

They say it covers their 'administrative costs', I think. But I'm sure someone at our school looked into doing the checks direct with the CRB and the borough wasn't happy with that, or the school didn't have the time to administer them. It has been a subject of much discussion at Governor and PTA meetings recently - we have hardly any volunteers able to help right now because the CRB checks take several weeks to come back.

Oh, now that IS interesting, Singersgirl. Of course, they were unhappy because they were profitting.

You can get a CRB for free if you get them by helping at the sunday school at church. Maybe you should recruit your volunteers from church sunday school. (If you have any parents who volunteer at sunday school)

And what do we get in return from the LEA... crappy school meals ala Sodexho. Are you at a Sodexho school?

Ele I think you have to have a seperate crb for each individual job, so the sunday school one doesn't cover you for school activites (I may be totally wrong but I do know some people who have several crb checks "runnung" at once).

As a job/organisation you can require the candidate to get a separate CRB check, but it isn't required. So it is up to the school whether they want to accept an existing CRB check. And I'll be even more if they don't accept them from the church with which they are afiliated.

I'm begining to question the value of the CRB check. IT seems to cost more than it's worth and do more hindering than helping the children.

I'm a teacher fully CRB checked at the school I work at and STILL needed a CRB when I was helping out in dd's school last year (also RuT)

it's crazy

Really? So you teach at one school in RUT, and you needed a second CRB to volunteer at another school?

This is deffo red tape gone mad. Someone is profitting from all these CRBs for sure. At the very least, we must be wasting CRB money for unneccessary checks (which at least should be free).

Yes, the local vicar, who is also a school governor and parent helper (does lots of assemblies etc) has to have a separate CRB clearance for the school, even though he has one done for free as a vicar via the Diocese of Southwark (or wherever - I'm not very up on Dioceses).

I may be wrong about some of the details, as I wasn't closely involved, but I know we too are struggling with the cost implications.

Southwark is south of the river. The parts of Richmond borough which are north of the river are covered by London Diocese. Whic is interesting because apparently thr RUT LEA stradles two Dioceses.

Anywaw, absolutely crazy that the vicar requires a second CRB.

no, sorry - I teach in Ealing and daughter goes to school in Richmond

I was meant to be taking over the running of our school M&T group last year, when the previous volunteer had to leave with very short notice. I put my CRB in, Easter 2006 - I got my clearance, Easter 2007. Suffice to say that the M&T group doesn't exist anymore after a years hiatus (they wouldn't let me do it without the CRB despite the fact that parents would still be there) I didn't pay btw as I was volunteering. There is something seriously wrong with the system.

We're in Wandsworth and the LEA there are the same but they charge £33 per check. It's very annoying as they only want you to go via them (well, as you say, of course they would!). We need to get the 7 PTA committee members CRB checked and as 6 of those tend to change each year, it costs nearly £200 per year. The PTA pays it rather than the individuals - we don't want to charge people to help the PTA - it's hard enough already getting volunteers. It's very annoying though as it's money that would otherwise go on playground equipment, school trips, etc. Grrr.

As a charity, you're expected to consider whether you get a CRB check for each volunteer who helps out, but as that could be about 60 people at least ecah year, it would make a serious dent in the PTA's funds. It's stupid really, as it leads you to make the decision about whether to get a check done or not on cost grounds, whereas it ought to be purely on child safety grounds, especially given that it could be free.

This is outrageous. It must be happening all over the country. LEAs profitting from their PTAs... unbelievable.

So what would the LEA do if we just got CRBs done on our own. Can they stop us?

I suppose the Head Teacher is very weary of upsetting the LEA. And so would prefer this little tid bit was swept under the carpet...

Yes and Yes
and it's £15 not 50 at our schol