Petition for compulsory DBS checks for all licenced tattoo artists in England

[TattooSafety]

This petition is close to making the numbers for a response from the government. My tattooists are a group of queer women who created their own studio to get away from the man who behaved appallingly when they were his apprentice. They are not the only ones, the rape culture in tattoo circles has been normalised for years, and it has to stop. I realise this might not be everyone's forte here, but women deserve safety in every industry, and so I am asking Mumsnet to sign and circulate this petition.

From the petition page:

"Tattooing involves close, private contact, often with vulnerable clients, and current licensing does not screen for criminal history. Without DBS checks, dangerous individuals could (and have) gain access to clients. Wales has already implemented mandatory checks successfully. Requiring DBS in England will prevent harm, safeguard the public from violent or sexual offenders, increase accountability, and restore confidence in the tattoo industry nationwide."

"We call on the government to introduce mandatory DBS checks for all licensed tattoo artists in England. Wales has shown this approach works. DBS checks will prevent those with violent or sexual criminal histories from working with clients, protecting public safety and ensuring trust in the industry."

Require DBS Checks for Tattoo Artists in England

Thank you in advance.

(The petition was put together by Draw The Line Project, lots more info is available there).

I can see the numbers rising on the petition, thank you for signing!

Great idea. I don't have a tattoo, don't want one and it's not my thing at all, however, I can see that predatory men (mostly) could exploit this situation. Good luck to your women tattooist friends.
Supported 👍

Sounds reasonable

Thank you so much! There's been a lot of pushback from horrible men who don't think DBS checks are necessary, but they absolutely are.

Thank you ✨

I can see that, and also that women and girls could be exploited. Tattooists are working on bodies, often in intimate areas. There should be a level of protection in every studio.

I’m not sure I understand. Why is this different than anyone who has close contact to you? Like a sports massage therapist or physio etc?

No. That's not the intended purpose of dbs. It is to protect children and vulnerable adults where there is an imbalance of power.
Overchecking is jyst as bad as underchecking, for different, but valid reasons.

So you're okay with men who are rapists and sex offenders working up close and personal with clients, unbeknownst to them?

It's not different, that's the point. Anyone working a job that involves up close personal contact with their clients, really need to be DBS checked.

So are you suggesting that all beauty therapists, physios, chiropractors, podiatrists etc need to be checked as well? If so that is what your petition should say, not focus on tattooists

Yes they should, but we are talking about tattooists here, please don't derail.

I would rather people put this much energy into demanding some workable checking system for soft play owners and similar where there is zero accountability to anyone and these people can directly access children. The owner of a soft play unlocked the toilet on me once and tried to come in until I screamed the place down. What would have happened if I was a child? I tried to report to the council only to find zero responsibility for holding this perv accountable from any department and the police weren’t interested because he claimed it was an accident. I agree DBS isn’t being implemented optimally but this goes far beyond tattoos which are supposed to only be done on over 18s anyway. I don’t live in the UK anymore but safeguarding there is batshit now and this is a prime example. Vulnerable people are let down while capable adults exploit the system to forward an agenda. How will DBS in the tattoo industry help women tattooists who are ex cons? Oh it will be another way to deny them a fresh start.

Don't sign it if you don't want to.

If someone has a sexually violent past, they should not be working in intimate spaces.

The numbers are rising, thank you to everyone who's signed it. The women behind the campaign have worked so hard to get this off the ground, please share the petition widely.

Never thought about this OP as tattoos aren't my thing and nobody in my family has one. Signed as it's definitely a good idea. I was thinking though that surely many are self employed so is a case of them not getting their licence to tattoo if there is such a thing.

Tattooists are self employed, and have to be licensed via their local council to do any tattooing, and pass health and safety regulations.

Thank you for signing ✨

I'm sorry but it's unworkable.

Most tattoo artists are self employed or a studio owner.

Let's say someone has a DBS check which shows a lengthy history of shoplifting offences - then what? Is that a problem? Who decides on which offences are acceptable and which aren't?

Councils will not want to take on this type of regulation, so where should it sit? Police won't deal with this sort of licensing either. There isn't a regulatory body, who will fund the creation of a new one?

Artists are talking about sexual offences. Self employed people can request a DBS check for themselves for around £20. If they want to welcome another artist into a shop, it's entirely reasonable to want to know if they might have a violent sexual past. It keeps their fellow artists safe, and clients.

Clients should be able to walk into a studio and feel safe around an artist. I would not want anyone with a criminally violent and/or sexual offence anywhere near me, and if someone refuses to do a DBS check, then they will not get a penny from me. As a client, I do not care about petty offences from past mistakes, what I DO care about, is not being around someone violent.