College says people without a 100% clean enhanced CRB will NOT get a job in a nursery

cardigan29

Hi,

Our local college says people without a 100% clean enhanced CRB will NOT get a job in a nursery (and are not allowed on college course)...does anyone in the industry know if this is correct or incorrect please?

Basically, my 17 year old daughter has completed an NVQ Level 2 in Childcare at college and then wanted to start a BTEC Level 3 in Health and Social Care course (with placements in childcare and healthcare settings).

She has been refused admission on the course as the college say that she needs a 100% clean enhanced CRB. Hers is not as it has a shoplifting reprimand on there from when she was 14.

The college say she will not get a placement and no nursery would want to employ her either with this on her record.

You may or may not know that reprimands now stay on the enhanced CRB until you are 100 years old so that means she can never work with children or vulnerable people ever.

Thanks,
Chris

bluenoseam

College is pretty much right on the nose, it is to protect the most vulnerable in society - you might find this harsh, but your daughters little "lapse" (no matter how minor) is something she will *rightly* have to live with.

Oldernotwiser

It would be very irresponsible of the college to allow your daughter to waste 2 years of her life training for a career in which she will have difficulty in gaining employment - I'm surprised that she was allowed to do the NVQ 2 actually.

Savvy_Sue

I'm not going to comment on whether the college is right or wrong to have this policy: I will say that it's not true that you can never work with children or vulnerable adults if you don't have a 100% empty CRB check.

However, the gap between an offence (which she must have admitted) at 14 and her current age of 17 is very small, and it would be difficult to prove that it was just a youthful mistake while she is so young.

I am not sure if it is possible to carry out a CRB check on someone who isn't yet 16, so that might be why the NVQ was OK if she wasn't 16 when she started. Also was a nursery placement compulsory for that course or was it more classroom based? I know NVQs are meant to be practical rather than theory, but I think they are sometimes classroom based.

If she did get some practical experience, it might be worth asking that placement if they would be willing to take her on, knowing of her CRB situation, but I wouldn't put too much reliance on that because she may be required to do placements in more than one setting.

SarEl

I agree with SavvySue. There is no law that says she cannot be employed in a nursery. Many employers will overlook a minor transgression some years ago, especially during adolesence. I will admit, some employers are rigid - but not all. An employer should consdier the type of "crime" and how long ago it was, and make a reasoned judgement based on the individual. Unfortunately, if she wants to stay in this line of work, she is going to end up having to declare and explain it for the rest of her life. But that doesn't mean it will be held against her for ever. Speak to NACRO - they may be able to advise and help.

milliebear00001

It will completely depend on the nursery. Certainly, it will make it harder for her, but some schools and nurseries will be willing to listen to her explanation for what happened and may be prepared to overlook it - especially as the offense was not linked to violence or drugs. She needs to bear in mind though, that this will come up every time she applies for a job in this field - for the rest of her life - and she may want to think about how passionately she wants to pursue this particular career if that is something she will need to contend with long-term.

ilovemydebts

i teach and my CRB is not a clean one, it does not show everything from my run ins with the police but i always put everything down i can remember on the form and it has never been a problem for me getting work. It may just be the nature of whats on the CRB and how long ago as milie and SarEl says.

jeffgeorge

cardigan29 wrote: »

Hi,

Our local college says people without a 100% clean enhanced CRB will NOT get a job in a nursery (and are not allowed on college course)...does anyone in the industry know if this is correct or incorrect please?

Basically, my 17 year old daughter has completed an NVQ Level 2 in Childcare at college and then wanted to start a BTEC Level 3 in Health and Social Care course (with placements in childcare and healthcare settings).

She has been refused admission on the course as the college say that she needs a 100% clean enhanced CRB. Hers is not as it has a shoplifting reprimand on there from when she was 14.

The college say she will not get a placement and no nursery would want to employ her either with this on her record.

You may or may not know that reprimands now stay on the enhanced CRB until you are 100 years old so that means she can never work with children or vulnerable people ever.

Thanks,
Chris

I am a childrens nurse, who done a nursing course with a blemished CRB. Im not going into it but far worse then shoplifting. I was honest and upfront about ir.

I then got two more convictions whilst qualified and kept my job. (despite advice on this forum that I would loose it)

I would speak directly to the college, childhood shoplifting, I would say is pretty common and whilst your daughter does have to take responsibilty, colleges ect have to be realistic.

All the best.

Look back at my post about drink driving, I got shot down in flames but have kept my job and got a promotion since then and now run a department and I have convictions from 12 months ago

DVardysShadow

bluenoseam wrote: »

College is pretty much right on the nose, it is to protect the most vulnerable in society - you might find this harsh, but your daughters little "lapse" (no matter how minor) is something she will *rightly* have to live with.

I have to take issue with your justification for this. Really, it is a hang over from New Labour, who were desperate to be seen to be doing something - and did it at the expense of people who had made mistakes in their lives. It is very much ineffective - a kind of chocolate fire guard, because it gives a false sense of security which lowers the guard of organisations against the more dangerous people, those who have not yet been caught

greytroot

not sure they are being on the "right side" of the law here, each case should be looked at as an individual case - after all i have a speeding conviction on my crb check (basically pleaded not guilty and tried to defend myself with video etc regarding speed limit sign being "hidden" by an overgrown tree - judge chucked case out, said i wasted their time and gave me a hefty fine which now shows on my crb check), this just shows minor glitches in character can happen!:cool:

mooks

A couple of years ago, a friend, who is a primary school teacher, was arrested while taking part in a non-violent anti-nuclear protest. I can't claim to know the precise details, but I believe the outcome was such that it did appear on her CRB disclosure. I'm sure there are many more people who have taken part in supposedly 'criminal' activity in the name of promoting active citizenship and democracy, however her teaching career has suffered no ill effects.

Whether or not the law says your daughter can work in childcare, it would appear inherently unfair that she be barred from any work that might involve children or vulnerable people. Surely it should be down to a reasonable person's interpretation of the crime in question, as opposed to the black and white view of whether they committed a crime or not.

I know too well how hard it is these days to find people who want to do the work they're doing - particularly in early years support. It would appear short-sighted to bar someone on the basis of a stupid mistake prior to the age of majority.