header-logo header-logo

14 February 2008 / Helen Hart
Issue: 7308 / Categories: Features , Public , Legal services , Community care
printer mail-detail

Checking up

Are Criminal Records Bureau checks too onerous? asks Helen Hart

Anyone wishing to work with children or vulnerable adults is required to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check to ensure they have not been involved in any activity which could mean that they constitute a danger to children. This does not just involve those wishing to undertake paid work, such as working in a school, but also volunteers, such as scout leaders, who are required to submit to a disclosure exercise. The number of adults who must undergo CRB checks on their suitability to work with children in schools and other institutions runs into several million. Given the scale of this operation, it is inevitable that mistakes will occasionally be made.

DISCLOSURE

The CRB is based in Liverpool and was established in March 2002 under Pt V of the Police Act 1997. It is run as a public-private partnership with Capita. It currently obtains records via the Police National Computer of the local police forces, as well as Scottish police records

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Real estate and construction energy offering boosted by partner hire

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Firm bolsters real estate team with partner hire in Birmingham

Shakespeare Martineau—Serena Eddy

Shakespeare Martineau—Serena Eddy

London restructuring team strengthened by legal director appointment

NEWS
A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting
Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
back-to-top-scroll