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

cardigan29

Hi again, thanks for the replies everyone.

In response to a few questions in some of them:

* As part of her previous year on the NVQ Level 2 she worked 2 days a week in a nursery and did have the CRB with the reprimand on.

* I have spoken to the college already and they will not budge - they say they have introduced this recently as students were not getting jobs/placements.


Another question - if an organisation will not employ someone new unless they have a clean CRB then should they then ensure their existing employees also fulfil this criteria? (I'm not saying this is right, but am interested in what others think).

Also, our local police have started a community payback type scheme for teenagers committing minor offences like shoplifting so that they will not have anything showing up on CRBs - if new people committing these offences will have nothing on their CRBs then is it right that others do have them on a CRB? If these offences are so important to have to remain on file for life and to stop people getting qualifications/jobs then surely everyone should be treated the same?

GavB79

When you are working with children/vulnerable people, you will have an enhanced CRB which will disclose everything you ever did. A standard CRB would likely not show this shoplifting charge in time, so it's not as if everyone committing a minor transgression is tarnished for life, it depends on what career path you choose. MOST employers do not require an enhanced disclosure. As stated, some employers will use common sense depending on the conviction.

nearlyrich

cardigan29 wrote: »

Also, our local police have started a community payback type scheme for teenagers committing minor offences like shoplifting so that they will not have anything showing up on CRBs - if new people committing these offences will have nothing on their CRBs then is it right that others do have them on a CRB? If these offences are so important to have to remain on file for life and to stop people getting qualifications/jobs then surely everyone should be treated the same?

#

If they have just started this scheme it would be hard to go back and change how they previously treated people, after all without being flippant they would have transported her to botany bay for the same "crime" in days gone by. It's harsh and I hope she can get past it if it truely was a one off mistake but as a deterent to others we should make sure young people know that wrong doing has consequences sometimes far beyond what seems fair.

Liquorice_Twirls

Perhaps you could ring up a few nurseries and ask generally if it is the case that they will absolutely not appoint anyone with any disclosures. I know of a few people who work with children and have convictions (albeit not for violent or sexual crimes), so there is no law that says you are barred. It is up to the employer to make the decision as to how relevant/recent the conviction was.

The fact that there is only a fairly short gap between the offence and now might be relevant, but a good reference from school or the placements she has already undertaken may sway an employer.

Don't give up on the say so of one College - make your own enquiries first and then decide.

lolly_896

i work with vulnerable adults, my enhanced crb is clean but i know of a few members of staff whom do have blemishes

good luck to your daughter x

Duncombe

jeffgeorge wrote: »

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

I'm not sure I'd describe theft by children as a "common" occurrence. Perhaps we move in different social circles.

You must also remember that the majority of college applicants will have clean CRB checks and will thus be deemed more suitable for roles working with the vulnerable. This system will undoubtedly mean lots of more than suitable applicants are filtered out because of their childhood 'errors' but such is life.

OP. Best of luck to your daughter in her future career.

Melbat

My daughter had to pay for a CRB last year and still hasn't recieved it. Her college tutors said they would look into it but so far nothing has been sorted +12 months on.We have never had any problems with her.

cardigan29

Hi everyone, thanks for all the replies. Thought I would update you. I have done a lot of investigation regarding the college's policy and them saying nurseries would not employ her:

• I have telephoned five local nursery managers and every one disagrees with their policy. They all said that they judge all applications on their own merits and most certainly do not have a blanket policy where someone has to have a completely clear enhanced CRB.

In a number of cases a nursery actually told me that they have themselves employed staff with blemishes on their records.

One nursery said their policy was too harsh and that they should leave it up to the employer and that OFSTED do not have the same view as them.

Another nursery said that it was “rubbish” and “totally wrong”.

• I telephoned a company called CMG CRB that a large number of nurseries use to obtain CRBs on their behalf and asked them if it was common for nurseries to not employ people if they had a reprimand for shoplifting on their CRB from when they were fourteen years old. The answer was that nurseries would not normally take that into account.

• The Police CRB Department did not agree with their policy either and also said that it was common now for children who have committed certain offences to be offered a place on a Community Payback type scheme rather than have a reprimand or be charged with an offence that would appear on a CRB. If these offences were so serious the police would not be doing this surely?

• I have also spoken to various other organisations including CRB Helpline, Connexions and the County Council Early Years Department and again, not one agreed with their policy.

• I have spoken at length to NACRO regarding their policy and to put it bluntly and in their own words they wish to “expose the college for discrimination”.

By having a blanket ban on students without clear enhanced CRBs (for relevant courses) they are preventing some people from ever working in certain sectors as they will not be able to be trained and gain qualifications.

It would be a sensible policy if the student had a conviction that was related to the industry in question and where there would be no doubt that they would ever be offered employment.

Their policy which implies that industry simply does not care what a conviction was for is utterly absurd.

There are many examples in the press where people without a clear CRB would obviously also be excluded by their policy. One is a headmaster who received a fine for forgetting to renew his fishing licence; the other is a boy picked up by the police for playing hide and seek in the grounds of a hospital.

If you challenge a motoring conviction, for example, speeding, in court and lose the case then this is also another example of something that is on your enhanced CRB for life.

There are also people who have items on their CRB that are not even considered offences anymore e.g. homosexuality.

I have written a letter of appeal to the college but don't expect much joy - they are not the only college doing this and it seems quite commonplace now for employers to be asking for enhanced CRBs when un-necessary for the post in question.

Oldernotwiser

cardigan29 wrote: »

I have written a letter of appeal to the college but don't expect much joy - they are not the only college doing this and it seems quite commonplace now for employers to be asking for enhanced CRBs when un-necessary for the post in question.

I expect the course is over subscribed and this is a way of sifting out applicants and ensuring that those who are accepted have th bset chance of finding jobs at the end of it. Perhaps she would be better looking for an apprenticeship in this field?

Freddie_Snowbits

I ave sent a pm about this. The College is wrong.


I would tell the college's interferring educationalist who has never left the school playground exactly what planet their are one.
(Note to Freddie, what happens when you put social workers, educationalist and teachers in the same room for a meeting. Answer, leave the agendaw in the middle of the floor, leave for three weeks and see if they get to the first item)