Scrap CRB's for 'Fit and Proper Person Certificate', Really?
Last week, Conservative MP Chris Chope tabled a private member’s bill to stop potential volunteers being deterred by the prospect of waiting for a criminal records check. His idea is a simple one, ask volunteers to sign a “fit and proper person certificate” saying they have no criminal record and no convictions. If they do this, charities should trust them.
He went on to explain that “A person could provide one [certificate] this week to volunteer for reading in London and another next week to work with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.”
Another Tory, who obviously doesn’t understand the sector or the nature of offending behavior either, Bob Stewart said in the same debate “I want to take my children from school to sports matches, but I am told by the school that I have to have a CRB check to take two or three people in my car. I am hoping that this sort of red tape can be done away with.” I agree with him on this one but he also needs to understand that this is a nonsense policy (not a requirement) instigated by a School System that is so risk averse that it is creating it’s own problems.
I’m fortunate enough to have experienced the problems associated with CRB’s from many angles. As a volunteer (and a freelancer), it is ridiculous that on a couple of occasions I have had to submit 2 or 3 CRB requests in a year for different organisations. As a voluntary sector support worker I have been involved, on more than one occasion, in discussions around an individual’s suitability to work with children and young people. Never an easy thing to do but, based on experience, necessary to make a reasonable judgement in order to create a safe® environment for vulnerable children and young people. Now, as a Director and Trustee of a local Community and Youth Centre these checks are one of the tools that help to give a clear message to workers, volunteers, children & young people and parents that we take their welfare seriously.
Anyone who knows me, also knows that I am not one of the growing number of Risk Assessors whose control measure for everything is ‘Don’t Do It!’ But I am experienced enough to know that some people who want to work with children and young people are not suitable. In one such case I was countersigning a CRB for a volunteer and whilst completing the form I asked, on Three separate occasions, “Have you ever been in trouble with the Police?” The response each and every time was “Never”. Now, the reason I had asked the question three times was that a Trustee had said they had concerns because of this person’s history. The disclosure report we got back was the lengthiest I have ever seen with more than 35 convictions and cautions over a considerable period of time for a variety of offences including petty theft and driving offences but most worryingly, and most recently, a number of violent offences one of which was an assault on their Step Son.
Fortunately in this debate Nick Hurd, Minister for Civic Society, gave the solution short shrift.
CRB’s are not the Panacea to keep children safe but without it we would never have known. Would he have signed a “fit and proper person certificate”? I think so. One thing is clear, no single process will do all of the things people want to see happen but I think we have to go back to the Children Act (2004) which says that ‘The Welfare of the Child should be the Paramount Consideration in all decisions made about him/her’
So, tell me, what is the right way forward?
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