Am I paranoid to not give references when applying

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To be clear, I'm happy to give references. I'm filling in a form which says please give two references, one of which should be your current employer, please indicate if you do not want them contacted.
There is a little "contactable?" yes/ no button to tick.

But after filling in one reference (not current) the form says that the section is now missing some OPTIONAL information but can be submitted.

So now I wonder if I do need to fill in the current employer at all? I wouldn't usually give references until a job offer is made.
But if I don't they may think I have something to hide.
Perhaps I'm being overly paranoid.
What would you do?

Occasionally a potential employer will contact your references prior to interview. It's considered standard practice for many, simply because they want to get the ball rolling. It's certainly normal. The NHS ask for references up front, and they're one of the biggest employers in the country. Ultimately, what could possibly go wrong by doing so? It's not like they'll end up in the wrong hands, they're still bound by the data protection act. I think it's good if you do supply your references. I have no idea if a potential employer would hold it against you if you didn't, but generally the more information you can put on an application the better.

I work in a school and references before the interview is standard practice, following the government's Safer Recruitment guidelines. If the job involves children or vulnerable adults in any way references before hand may be expected.

Betty what can go wrong is that op might prefer not to let her current employer know until she has an offer

But I agree it's becoming standard in many public sector employers

In which case, you need to tell them that and hope that they're okay with waiting. Your existing employer shouldn't treat you unfavourably though.

If you can indicate that you don't want them contacted then do that. Don't leave them off though, if I was reading that application I'd wonder why you didn't want your current employer as a reference.

Could you just write 'reference available subject to offer' in the current employer box?

I think most employers would understand that you wouldn't want them to contact your current employer prior to an offer being made... it could lead to difficulties if you did not get the job!