possible criminal record

Dontknowanymore

Esoog wrote: »

If you're innocent you won't be found guilty - simples

You mean to tell me that every single person who has every been convicted of a crime is guilty? No I didn't think so.

Dontknowanymore

A criminal conviction is not always a barrier to employment, obviously it totally depends on the offence and type of job, but for most companies it is down to their own discretion.

stephent82

I am going through something similar (but worse!). I can prove I did not do what I was alleged to have done, however, the time they are taking to decide whether or not to bring this to court is worrying. It's 7 months and counting...

Back onto topic. It depends what you want to do. I have had jobs (mainly when I was a student) which did not require referees or CRB checks. These were low paid, and not exactly mentally taxing - you would be able to get a job like these quite easily. With a conviction for theft or assault you will find in near impossible to get a job working with the vulnerable, large volumes of cash, security or the government. many chain stores also CRB check nowadays, and a conviction for theft would rule you out of that.

Look on the bright side. You had a temp job over Christmas - keep in-touch with them as their reference could become invaluable. Don't give up either. You may need to start from the bottom again, but it is more than possible to have a good career if you work hard enough.

Obviously I don't know the area of work that you are in (don't post it either) but there are a number of help lines that would be able to support you. Contact the CAB in the first instance for good advice regarding CRB checks and employment.

dandelionclock30

I know plenty of people with long criminal records including assaults who work with the vulnerable.I wish people would stop saying its impossible to work with the vulnerable if you have thefts/assaults or a serious conviction.It simply isnt true.
Its harder but plenty of places will still consider you.A third of the social care sector workforce has a criminal record.
They wont consider you if you are on the barred list, or if you have sexual offences,and arson.

CuteBB

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

I know plenty of people with long criminal records including assaults who work with the vulnerable.I wish people would stop saying its impossible to work with the vulnerable if you have thefts/assaults or a serious conviction.It simply isnt true.
Its harder but plenty of places will still consider you.A third of the social care sector workforce has a criminal record.
They wont consider you if you are on the barred list, or if you have sexual offences,and arson.

Agree, my brother has a conviction for fraud and theft, this has never stopped him getting a job. He is a youth home manager on £34,000k , earning far more than i am. He has always written a detailed cover letter explaining the offences, etc along with applications.

dogbiscuit_3

Thanks everyone for your replies.
Still trying to get my head round it all at the moment. My solicitor has found some discrepancies in the evidence against me and I also have statements from ex work colleagues to back me up.
Think I will just have to wait and see what happens. So difficult at the moment cos I want to work.

creditcardhelp11

It boils down to reasoning for jobs with vulnerable people. An employer must consider the reasoning for their rejection of your application based on a previous conviction. For example, how long ago was the offence? How many offences were committed? What was the seriousness of the offence? Was there any mitigating circumstances? Was the crime committed against a vulnerable person? Can the applicants’ character be supported (positively)? If a person committed an offence of dishonesty (e.g. theft) say 10 years ago, the applicant was not jailed, has excellent reference and has no further offences of any kind. Then an employer should not condemn the applicant for their conviction. This is not to say that they cannot refuse the applicant but they should give the applicant an opportunity. However, any crimes involving sexual or physical assault will generally be a bar from working with vulnerable individuals. Moreover, any registration on the Safeguarding vulnerable persons register will be an automatic bar. There are many people in good jobs (Police, Lawyers, Teachers etc…) that have previous convictions for dishonesty; did they find the application process more difficult? Undoubtedly yes. Was their application given greater scrutiny, again yes? Will the employer keep an extra close eye on those applicants? Perhaps, but I would only say so for a short while until trust is gained. Remember even the previous DPP had a conviction for a drug offence.

dandelionclock30

"There are many people in good jobs (Police, Lawyers, Teachers etc…) that have previous convictions for dishonesty"

Really?,My friends a teacher and if you had any convictions or cautions you were not allowed on the course.I also know that some Police forces wont have you with any convictions or cautions also. Wheres your evidence please?

creditcardhelp11

Police - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7936041.stm
Teahcers - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/6372403/Dozens-of-teachers-with-criminal-convictions-allowed-to-remain-in-classroom.html

If you wanted to find out about your own area just use the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

A conviction or caution cannot bar you from a course though, it may prove much harder (near impossible for some) to get on the course. Moreover, would your friends declare their convictions to you?

kitty_cat_2

dogbiscuit wrote: »

Hi. Thanks for reading.
Yes it is my ex employer taking me to court. They are 1 of a few companies that have the power to do there own prosecutions. My solicitor has told me that it wouldn't have got this far if the CPS were involved.

All NHS bodies employ fraud investigators (Local Counter Fraud Specialists) who will take cases to court if possible.