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CRB Checks

Anyone working with children, whether on a voluntary or employed basis, needs to have an enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) disclosure. The CRB check should ideally be in place prior to you employing a new member of staff.

Free CRB checks

For organisations which are on the Ofsted Early Years Register or the Compulsory Childcare Register, such as out of school clubs and playgroups, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) subsidises CRB checks if they are obtained through certain umbrella bodies. This means that you can get free CRB checks for the staff at your club. The DCSF does not subsidise CRB checks for organisations which are on the Voluntary Childcare Register.

Free CRB checks for Ofsted registered bodies are available from the following umbrella bodies:

• TMG CRB (for organisations on the Early Years Register or the Compulsory Childcare Register)
• Atlantic Data (for organisations on the Early Years Register or the Compulsory Childcare Register)
• Capita Recruitment and Vetting Service (for organisations on the Early Years Register only)

If you're not eligible for a free check

If your organisation is not eligible for free CRB checks, you can choose which umbrella body you want to use for your checks. The CRB check itself costs £36.00 and umbrella bodies typically charge an additional fee of between £9.00 and £14.00 to process your application. If any of your staff are unpaid volunteers, the CRB makes no charge for their CRB check, however you will still normally have to pay an admininstration fee to whichever umbrella body processes your CRB application.

Finding an umbrella body

Your local authority may have a preferred umbrella body, or if your organisation is an activity club (eg football, karate, chess) you may find that your national body already is an umbrella body or can recommend one. Or you could use an independent umbrella organisation, for example:

• SafeChild
  
• Fairplay for Children

For a full list of all umbrella bodies see the CRB web site:
www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk

Vetting and Barring Scheme

The new Vetting and Barring Scheme, which was due to apply to all new staff working with children from November 2010, has been put on hold pending an extensive review. For more information about the scheme see the Independent Safeguarding Authority. For more information about how the scheme would have affected out of school clubs, see our article on the Vetting and Barring Scheme.