CRB trial and identity cards (by alaric)
So I told them what I thought of the new system, pointed out the pros and cons compared to the existing system, suggested a few things about the user interface of the online components, and so on.
But, let's face facts; even if somebody comes out with a totally clean record, that's no guarantee they're a good person. The CRB checks my parent helpers and other leaders undergo is just a hurdle for potential wrongdoers to overcome, not an insurmountable barrier. The biggest protection the children in my care have is me - alert for signs that any helper might be 'a bit odd', and ready to defend the children with my life if I have to.
Tue 26th Jun 2007 7:17 pm 
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By sarah, Wed 27th Jun 2007 @ 8:22 am
Oh Alaric you are lovely - you just made me cry cos I know you mean that, any child in your care is an extremely lucky child as far as I'm concerned.
By David Cantrell, Wed 27th Jun 2007 @ 10:04 pm
The biggest problem with the CRB checks isn't that nasty people might get through, but that nice people will be offended at the notion that they have to be checked, and so refuse to go through with it. This is already happening. And no amount of fiddling with the process will fix what is a fundamentally anti-civil idea.
By alaric, Thu 28th Jun 2007 @ 9:55 am
Interesting... I didn't know CRB checks were so widespread! I'd heard of them being done for teachers and Scout leaders, where confirming you don't have a relevant criminal record seems fair enough, since you are left in a position of power over lots of children (and, more subtly, you get to handle a lot of personal information about them; my records include all sorts of information that I could probably make a lot of money selling to paedophiles to use in working their way into parents and children's trusts.
But cricket umpires and library book deliverers? Hmmf. Looks to me like arse-covering. If somebody in such a situation did do something untoward, then the organisation could use the fact they did CRB checks to protect themselves. "But but but the government said she was nice..."