job interview and crb check !!

kurjam

Hi all hoping some one out there can help me....
I have a job interview tomorrow hooray :j
but one question i can not find an answer to on the internet..

back in 1998 / 1999 i was foolish and claimed some housing benefit & is when i should not have, i had an interview and went to the magistrates court.....i did not go to prison etc
I was told something along the lines that if i re-offended for the same thing within 3 years my case would be looked at again...

well i learnt my lesson and paid all the money back, now my job tomorrow requires a crb check,
do i have to put this down on my application form / or tell the manager of the place i intend to work ??
will it also show up on a crb check ??

i am a bit worried as it is working in a day nursery, i have worked in a nursing home about 2002 and it showed up then but they were not to bothered....

sorry to go on...
any help much appreciated !!!
thank you

Savvy_Sue

Does the application form ASK if you have any criminal convictions? If it does, you should answer honestly. I would provide details in a separate letter rather than on the main application form.

If it doesn't ask, I would bring in a sealed letter to be opened only if you are successful at interview.

I do not know if it will show on an enhanced CRB check, but it may well do. However, these are STRICTLY confidential, which is why I would not put full details on your application form, which might be seen by anyone.

I don't know if NACRO could give you advise on how to disclose your conviction in the best way. Personally I hope it will not be held against you. Good luck.

kurjam

i dont know about the application form i have not filled one in yet, just got a phone call tonight to go for an interview, so i presume i will have to fill one in tomorrow.....

cazziebo

From what you say there (if I'm reading it properly) you don't seem to have been convicted? Were you actually charged and found guilty? If not, and it was a stern warning you were given then you wouldn't have to declare it.

Nacro should be able to give you guidance.

Savvy_Sue

I think I might therefore take a sealed letter with me. Although on thinking about it, you might do better to ask to speak to the person responsible for CRB checks because you have some questions about the process. You could phone in the morning and see if you can speak to them then, if there's time. If you've told them in advance, they cannot imagine it is something far worse than it is. Try and speak to the person who actually SEES the completed checks rather than just anyone who happens to answer the phone.

Thinking some more, is this a private nursery, or one run by the Local Authority? If it's the local authority, or one with a number of branches, I personally would not disclose a conviction to the LOCAL manager, because I would not expect them to ever see my CRB form: they have to be kept strictly confidential. However, I've looked at my local council's application procedures and it says there that if you say you've got a conviction, they WILL discuss it at interview and you may wish to bring documentation with you.

More questions I'm afraid: do you know what you were actually convicted of? Did you get a suspended sentence, a conditional discharge, or what? I think it's worth being precise about these things.

If you decide you're going to say something, I would also practice what you are going to say, out loud, so you don't get tangled up and say either more or less than you intend. What you said in your first post is probably a good start. '8 years ago I was going through a very difficult time and continued to claim HB and IS when I was no longer entitled to do so. When this was found out, I had to go to court where I pleaded guilty to "insert exact term here" and was given a "conditional discharge / suspended sentence". I repaid the money in full and have never been in any other kind of trouble.'

My local council does say that a criminal record is not necessarily a barrier to employment. Hopefully you've got a good reference and record working with the elderly, so that should stand you in good stead.

Elle00

Yes it will show up I'm afraid. Check out the following link: http://www.crb.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=1871

You have the right to refuse this check happens but let's be honest, you wouldn't get the job if you did that in most instances.

It should just say what your conviction was with minimal details and nothing said about the particulars of the case. My advice, well, embellish mate. Tell them you made a massive mess up with HB claim, realised what you'd done but kept forgetting to get it sorted. Well, it's not a total lie is it? You did mess up big style! Honesty is the best policy, just add a bit of a positive spin on it if you can. The fact it is an 8yr old conviction and you have been sucessfully employed with vulnerable people should mean they're not bothered unless the job is in finance or high up admin etc.

HTH and good luck.

EDIT: Just thought I'd add that someone I know served 11yrs for murder and found employment with a private housing firm - including evicting people - while he was still in an open prison at the end of his sentence. If you're the right person for the job, employers will give you the benefit of the doubt. Still can't believe the jammy g*t got such a good job after 11yrs inside.

Elle00

cazziebo wrote: »

From what you say there (if I'm reading it properly) you don't seem to have been convicted? Were you actually charged and found guilty? If not, and it was a stern warning you were given then you wouldn't have to declare it.

Nacro should be able to give you guidance.

I thought that at first glance but if you read the last bit of the OP, there must be a conviction as it showed up during a check for a job at a nursing home in 2002.

Syman

Elle83 wrote: »

I thought that at first glance but if you read the last bit of the OP, there must be a conviction as it showed up during a check for a job at a nursing home in 2002.

sounds like th OP giot a suspended sentence.

anyhoo,

If you have an "Enhanced" check it will almost certainly show up, so it is best to be open and honest about it. i had juvenile conviction dating back21 years show up on mine i had not notified the company i was working for and it caused a bit of a stir at the time.:mad:

Elle00

Syman wrote: »

sounds like th OP giot a suspended sentence.

But a suspended sentence is still being convicted (found guilty) of a crime!!! It really isn't important considering the fact that there is no time limit on when these things show up so if it showed in 2002 it will show up now. And it will def be enhanced for a nursery.

Savvy_Sue

Syman wrote: »

i had juvenile conviction dating back21 years show up on mine i had not notified the company i was working for and it caused a bit of a stir at the time.:mad:

On one level, it should NOT have caused a stir, because it should NOT have become public knowledge!

I used to help run an out of school club, and I now work with vulnerable adults and I see CRB checks for our volunteers. If our volunteers are open about the fact that there WILL be something on the CRB check, it's no big deal: obviously depending on what the conviction was for, and how recent it was. But only the person doing the check would see it, not the whole staff.

However with the out of school club, I had one potential staff member come to me in great distress as she'd said she didn't have any convictions on her application form, and then she'd realised we were going to do a police check (pre CRB days!) and there WOULD be something on it, from a very long time ago.

I think we would have been within our rights not to take her application any further as she hadn't given accurate information, but I agreed with her that I'd run it past another committee member and together we'd decide what to do. Fortunately this other member was as forgiving as I was: the convictions were 25 years old, and I'd hate to have my youthful indiscretions held against me!

No-one apart from us two ever knew what was on her police check. At work, only the person who counter-signed the application would normally see the CRB check: if there was something worrying on it, then that would be discussed 'in principle' rather than using the person's name.

For your record to become widely known was a serious breach of confidentiality, IMO!

jeckyllandhyde

I am an employment advisor specialising in working with ex offenders, for this post you will undergo an enhanced CRB check – this check should show all convictions and even cautions etc no matter how long ago - this post appears to be exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 - check this out:

http://www.crb.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=313.

If the application form asks about pre cons and yours are not “spent” under the terms of the ROA they must be declared – if the job is exempt from the ROA act it should inform you on the form and all past convictions cautions as well as pending legal matters involving criminal behaviour must be declared.

Failure to disclose any offence is in itself an offence, if discovered later it may lead to your dismissal and possible arrest followed by a further conviction which may lead to imprisonment.

I have clients who have been convicted and imprisoned for this offence.
Your offence is not serious and you shouldn’t really have a problem if you declare it.

You are better to disclose at the application form stage (I assume you haven’t as your asking the question now at interview stage) I normally advise clients to put on the form that asks about pre cons "details to be discussed at interview" In addition I help them prepare a short written synopsis of the circumstances and details of their criminality as a conviction such as yours i.e. “fraud” showing on a CRB check does not tell the whole story. This statement can then be considered by the interview panel once you have left following your disclosure at interview, if they don’t offer you the position you have lost nothing because when they find out they will normally sack you anyway, you will not be entitled to benefits as you may be classed as “intentionally unemployed” by the DWP (because of your sacking for dishonesty) and you could be in a worse position than when you started.

Hope this helps