Any teachers - CRB checking madness

[LargeLatte]

Is it true that parents can only help out in a class if they have been CRB checked even though they will never be left alone with children and will have limited interaction with the children. Is this a legal requirement?

[madamearcati]

Our school don't CRB parent volunteers. i was in when the ofsted guy came round and he asked the HT to see my CRB which was recent but for another setting.i assume he accepted that because there were no negative comments on the report.

[pugsandseals]

I don't understand the need for more than one CRB for different places. I can walk into any school in the county I work using my CRB but would have to apply for a different CRB to help in my local school, and another to help at my DD's (we border 3 counties). Surely there must be a more sensible way of issuing them???

[asdx2]

"List 99 is a basic check of all people who have been barred from working with children. It is a suitable check for classroom volunteers and helpers who will be in school on less than 13 occasions in a year and are not involved in an overnight stay. Any further contact than this would require an enhanced CRB check.
Schools use it as a risk assessment to judge whether to allow a person entry prior to the full CRB coming back".
Again from senior advisor for county council.

[Tinuviel]

"School could ask for list 99 clearance which would cover you whilst the full CRB was going through according to ds... He is senior advisor for CRB's for our county council so knows his stuff."

List 99 is only relevant for qualified teachers. It's part of the teacher's database held by DCSF and only holds teachers' details.

[majafa]

DreamworldfullofUnicorns thats a good idea,

But I think the problem with CRBs is that they are out of date as soon as they have been processed, because there is no saying that as soon as a person has one granted, that that person could go out and commit a crime against a child/vulnerable person the following day IYSWIM.

[dreamworldfullofUNICORNS]

although i have seperate crbs for rainbows, agency work, and school work, the school crb is a ** county council crb, so i can go into any school in the county with it. i still needed seperate crbs for if the agency were paying me to work, or the council were. Even though i was in the same school and class literally the next day. It ridiculus, one crb, maybe with photo id included which you can use wherever would be far more sensible.

[EcoLady]

I'm a parent volunteer running a lunchtime club, where there are always 2 members of satff too. I not only have a CRB check, but the school also sent me on a 1/2 day course on child protection!
I have a separate CRB check for Brownies, and a third for my employer.

[TidyBush]

The ISA thing would be great wrt to portability if it replaced CRBs. But it won't - it's as well as. This is because the legislation for the jobs that require CRBs has not caught up with the ISA regs yet.

See info here.

[TheFirstLady]

Littlefish and Swill - I, on the other hand, have been allowed to use my CRB check for one school in another school in the same LA -it seems that guidelines vary a lot between schools on what they deem acceptable. School B's reasoning was that as the checks were being carried out by the same people duplication was pointless.

[Littlefish]

I found the same as swill - I'm a teacher with a CRB check (obviously). I had to have another CRB check done to volunteer at my dd's school to hear readers, even though it's in the same county as the school where I work.

Even more madness, I once worked for a nursery within a children's centre. I had to have two separate CRB checks done, even though the nursery and children's centre share a building, and one was a service commissioned by the other.

[swill72]

I'm a teacher and have full CRB clearance for my job. My son goes to an infant school less than 2 miles away, in the same town and same education authority. I do not help in his school because I would need another CRB check to go and help as a parent because it's a different role. FFS - I've been teaching for 15 years, never been out of work, and am CRB checked in my role as a teacher, yet I can't be trusted to volunteer in his school? It's utter madness. I went to the office waving my CRB certificate, told them where I worked, was told I'd need another. Paid £15 for the privilege (2 years ago when DS was in nursery), but now need a new one because I haven't helped since. (In that time I had DD, so couldn 't manage it easily.) Aaaaaagh! And now, every time someone doesn't help for more than 3 months, they need a new CRB done. I know they have the children's interests at heart, but am I really a threat?! Oh - and I asked whether my husband, a serving police officer, would need a CRB. Well, I don't need to tell you the answer, do I?! Bonkers!

[majafa]

You see I find it all very odd.

Iwas a governor for 3 1/2 years, 2002 till 2005 at my sons school and never had a CRB done?
I then worked at said school from feb 05 till jul 07 had a CRB done for this.

But, when I started the childminding process in feb 08, I was registered by oftsed etc but no new CRB snt to me for Childminding??

Queried this with Ofsted and was basically told not to worry about it!!

I was under the impressinon you had to be CRB checked/should have an CRB certificate for all jobs working with children or the vulnerable etc?

[wannaBe]

ofsted will frown heavily on any school that allows non-crb'd volunteers into school.

Safeguarding is now the first thing that is looked at during an ofsted inspection, and if the safeguarding is not up to scratch the school will be given a notice to improve before the remainder of the inspection takes place.

[TheFirstLady]

LL - heads like rules because they are the ones who carry the can if unforeseen things happen. You can't blame them for looking over their shoulders for potential issues.

[Hassled]

Yes, the portability of the ISA system will be invaluable. At one point I had a CRB as a childminder (when I was one), a CRB as a governor in school A and a CRB as a parent helper in school B. It was insane.

[TheFirstLady]

It isn't a legal requirement, but Ofsted have started to come down heavily on schools who don't do it. I think they are correct to do so.

[islandofsodor]

ISA = Independent Safeguarding Authority. Starts to come in June this year with it becomong compulsory at some set date afterwards (not got booklet with me).

Everyone working or volunteering with children will need to be registered with them by law but unlike CRB these will be portable between organisations.

[LargeLatte]

wordsonascreen - I want a badge - I'm so jealous. Maybe I will volunteer but only if I get a special badge.

[ShrinkingViolet]

I had to wait till my CRB form was back before I could help out, office was quite strict about it. Have never been invited up to the staffroom for biscuits though .

[LargeLatte]

Excellent - thanks very much for the info. Just one question- what is ISA?

New rules would explain why head decided in November that no parent was allowed on school premises during school hours unsupervised - he likes rules

[asdx2]

School could ask for list 99 clearance which would cover you whilst the full CRB was going through according to ds. School could have this faxed to them or even a phone call with fax to follow would mean you would be cleared to volunteer immediately. He is senior advisor for CRB's for our county council so knows his stuff.

[islandofsodor]

Things changed slightly in October of last year in preparation for the new ISA checks.

Up until then it was not a legal requirement as long as all volunteers were supervised but best practice to have a check. CRB checks for volunteers are free.

Under the new ISA rules anyone volunteering on a regular basis must be checked.

[wordsonascreen]

I helped out for over a year before they asked for a CRB check.

Maybe they noticed the biscuits.

[Bramshott]

I have a CRB check for helping in DD's school, but I didn't have to wait for it to come through before I could go in and help. I think that stems from the fact that although it is "best practice" to CRB check parent helpers, it's not a legal requirement.

[epithet]

Oh, I think if your clearance is pending, that is usually fine. I helped in dd1's swimming lesson while the form was still in the system. Lots of teacher clearances don't come through till they've been in the classroom for a couple of weeks iirc.