there is so much talk on the news at the moment about people who workwith children or have access to children on a regular basis having crb clearence , i think this lulls parents into a false sense of security , i once saw a documentry on this subject and the policeman interviewed was saying that parents should not be concerning themselves so much with the registered sex offenders , but the 9 out of 10 offenders who were arrested but there was not enough evidence to secure a conviction so charges were dropped and also sex offenders are usually your family members and "friends" not a stranger on the sex offenders register anyway . my childs abuser would have had a crb clearence while being a taxi driver at the same time as raping children for 20 years , it just meant he hadnt been caught yet ,not that he was trustwourthy . holly wells and jessica chapman were murdered by ian huntley in 2002 , he had been reported on numerous occasions for underage sex and sexual assaults on young girls but got away with it every time (i dont think he even made it to court ) leaving him free to get a caretakers job at holly and jessicas school (they were 10 ,when he killed them ) he came across as a very "nice" man when he was interviewed on the news during the search for the girls ! which he "helped" with! a previous victim of his recognised him and the rest is history , but i think it is because of his case that the crb clearence thing came about or got stricter . so parents please dont think your child is safe because someone has crb clearence or trust them because they believe in jehovah either !
crb clearence will not keep children safe
by looloo 2 Replies latest jw experiences
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Married to the Mob
I believe it has been changed and the ian huntly issue was the trigger. If you go on to the human rights pages there is or was a big issue, I haven't checked recently so I am not fully up to date over the information the police keep on each person and how long the data was kept. I don't think the issue was anyone wanted them not to have the data on serious crimes but more that people who were arrested by mistake were getting on the system too.
Basically a basic CRB check just says if you have any criminal records, or cautions, prision time.
However for certain jobs plus, those who into contact with children and vunerable people there is an extended crb clearnace policy which looks not only at what you have in the crb, but also arrests, investigations and anything else on file.
However as the jw don't have access to the extended crb as far as I am aware, can you imagine letting them have access to this data?
I think however the system is always going to be one step behind what is a massive problem, there are lots of people who have passed under the radar and the internet helps them no end. The facebook daycare worker was a prime example. On the other hand how much resource do you throw at the issue and at what price of civil liberty. I remember someone telling me that you are only 3 clicks on the internet from viewing something that would put you in jail. Should all those people be charged?
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cofty
looloo you make a very important point, CRB certificates do not guarantee anything. MTTM is right if a person is working with children or vulnerable adults their employer needs to obtain an enhanced CRB. Even if the certificate says "nothing recorded" any investigations or concerns will be disclosed to the person requesting the check by the chief constable in a separate letter.
Under this system Ian Huntley would have been prevented from taking up his job at the school.
The reason you need a CRB for every job or volunteer position is that any additional information is covered by Data protection Act and cannot be shared with another party. So if I sack a new coach because of what I get from a CRB it is against the law to tell the rugby club down the road if he turns up there next. That's the theory at least; in practice we would share information discreetly.
A new agency is in the process of being set up in the UK which will hold a list of every person excluded from working with children or vulnerable adults and which can be accessed by all organisations.
I am secretary of a junior football club with around 200 members and 25 volunteers. The Football Association has blocked many people from the game as a result of stringent CRB process but its only part of the picture.
We interview new volunteers, take up references, send them on child welfare courses and mentor them. Other clubs get a false sense of security because a coach can wave a clean CRB certificate in their face.
This is the Welfare section of our club website that outlines how we try to keep the children safe. Constant vigilance is the key, not just a desire to tick a few boxes.
Bottom line is exactly as you said, do not trust somebody just because they have a CRB
Another interesting question would be whether all UK elders ought to be getting CRB checks?