CRB checks for parents of kids taking part in foreign exchange programs

[bunn]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6879295.ece

I did two exchange trips when I was of that age, one to France and one to Germany.   The German one was pretty grim, but that was because my father was dying of cancer at the time so I was probably not feeling particularly open to new cultures, and even that one, I have some brilliant memories of.  I am pretty sure that both did more for my language skills and general independence and confidence than any amount of classroom teaching.

Why would anyone want to formalise something so effective and undangerous, particularly when that is likely to crush the whole idea except for the most well-prepared and determined of families?   And surely, the criminal records check people are already overloaded and checks are taking ages...?

I expect the next move will be CRB checks for pregnant women and their partners.  

Comments

[bunn.livejournal.com]

... and that produces a situation where so many people have had to be specially checked, that the unchecked become an unsavory and suspicious-seeming group, just by virtue of being unchecked. This is very wrong.

[purplecat]

I have for some time thought that pedophiles are the new witches. Very few interactions involving them seem to have any real trace of rationality or proportion. They are vile, yes, but my daughter is at far greater risk from cars...

[kargicq.livejournal.com]

Also, I am not sure how the system deals with malicious allegations. AIUI if the police hold any dodgy info on you at all, then you will get a "concern noted" in the relevant section of your form (instead of the "no information held" which, thank god, it says on mine). So, if I have a grudge against anyone, I just have to ring Crimestoppers and make some groundless allegation, which will then show up as a "concern" on their CRB form. This would, needless to say, be social death, as well as destroying your career if you are a teacher, health-worker, policeman, bus-driver or whatever.

I really feel we should be out in the street protesting about this.

Neuromancer

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I am one of the Unchecked, and therefore about 10 minutes after starting a protest, I estimate that someone would suggest I have something to hide.

It is indeed, a witchhunt.

[kargicq.livejournal.com]

10 mins sounds about right.

I, on the other hand, am the proud possessor of no fewer than 3 concurrent CRB forms. (As someone who's managed to avoid the need so far, you may not realise that you have to apply all over again for each new purpose.) All clean at the moment, but obviously if I pissed anyone off enough then that could change overnight.

Neuromancer

[thecatsamuel.livejournal.com]

I'm just going through being re-checked (for helping with Guides - although I was CRB cleared in my previous job). The whole process is so complicated, and like you, I am VERY concerned that a groundless and malicious accusation could raise a concern that I might not even know about let aline have the opportunity to refute. The whole thing seems to be getting completely out of hand to the extent that I am starting to wonder if I should be volunteering to help the with kids at all or it would be wise just to quietly jack it in.

[kargicq.livejournal.com]

Well, it's clear that a lot of people are taking the "jack it in" option. I certainly felt miffed recently when it was only AFTER I'd agreed to give up my time to talk at a science public engagement event, it emerged that this would require me to go through yet another CRB check. I wouldn't have bothered with the extra hassle if they'd explained that up-front (which is probably why they didn't).

Some poor woman on the mumsnet forum was posting about how she'd withdrawn her daughter from Rainbows in terror after the Rainbow leader had asked if parents could help with lifts for one of the events. It meant getting CRB-checked. She'd had a previous run-in with Social Services (child had had an accident, they'd been suspected of abuse, eventually cleared but she assumed that they are now forever "on the system" and that this would show up on a CRB check). CRB forms don't show the nature of the concern so the Rainbow Leader would have no idea *why* there was a "concern noted", and might well jump to all sorts of terrifying conclusions. So rather than face the embarrassment factor of explaining all this, the mum has just withdrawn her child from the activity. One wonders how often this scenario is currently being replicated up and down the country. Another triumph for our masters.

- N.

[kargicq.livejournal.com]

PS I should explain that for the public engagement thing, there's absolutely no legal requirement for a CRB check, as I will be talking to the kids as a one-off, in a school hall filled with about 50 kids, 10 teachers and 3 other visiting scientists -- I think if I managed to molest anyone under those circumstances I would deserve some kind of medal, frankly. The organisation agrees there is no legal requirement, but explains it is their /policy/.