How much more

[committeddoxy]

I am trying to get a CRB test organised, but the school concerned are used to it taking less than a week and have decided I can't be on campus until it's sorted out. My difficulty occurs because it makes me feel as I did 9 years ago when I realsied a paedophile was targeting my family, and 6 years ago when he was released from jail and we fled the country and hid. Hiding my family from a paedophile now looks suspicious to the school. I tried to explain but they didn't want to know. The paedophile killed the last child who put him in jail.

I said I could get a letter from the Chief Constable but the school says this doesn't meet with their proceedures. The only blemish I have are 3 parking tickets.
I don't know how long victims have to be punished, but I'm struggling.
My child deserves a medal for bravery, but all we get is hassle, and barriers to earning a decent living. This situation has cost me about £200,000 in lost income so far. It stinks.

[Stormsky]

How awful that you are being penalised like this, when your the victim, and all you and your family have been through.
It seems totally unfair, is there not somewhere you could plead your case, via contacting offsted or something?

[Pipkin]

Hi there,

Sorry you're having such a difficult time. Maybe I can shed a little light on the situation. I presume you are about to start work in the school - it would certainly be unreasonable to expect all parents to be CRB checked. It's standard practice in schools and colleges for all staff to have a clear CRB check, or if not clear, to be risk assessed as safe to work with children and vulnerable adults.

The school should arrange for your check and, although they can take upto 4 weeks to come back, they are currently taking less than 2 for most people. Unfortunately, if you've moved house a lot or lived outside the UK, they can take much longer.

Apologies if I have misunderstood your situation. Let me know if you need any more info as I deal with this at work all the time and maybe I can help.

Take care

Pip xx

[committeddoxy]

Hi Pip,
Perhaps you can help.....
I have looked at the government website and there are two different versions of the paperwork, however this school want the first version, passport, (they won't accept a passport number, they need to see the physical passport) driving licence, whereas it would be much easier for me to supply five forms from the second box. (They won't accept a copy of my birth certificate even though it's issued from the correct place)(They don't like my change of name documents, deed polls are suspicious? why would you change your name unless you're getting married/divorced?)
The school is an academy so able to choose a CRB provider; could it be school proceedure, or the CRB providers proceedure that is different from the government website. The school say because of the number of address changes and not being on the electral register, and leaving in a country with different judicial system until recently, it may take them 7 weeks to sort out. I also need to work part-time at a different school in about a month, so I've been trying to contact them to explain in advance and try to get everything in place.
The logistics are a nightmare as I have little capacity for stress, but emotionally it's like a punch in the stomach. My child's bravery has saved many children from being abused, but when did the state take his welfare into consideration? On a positive note I have been trying to feed back into the system to change police proceedures for years; letters to Judges etc but just get fobbed off, moving to a new area and new MP and Bingo, I have an appointment with a chief of police who works on the committee of child protection proceedures and I'll tell him what needs changing to prevent other families having to leave the country to keep their kids safe. (That's me trying to find a positive note, but bloody hell, it's difficult!)

---------- Post added at 23:37 ---------- Previous post was at 23:29 ----------

Hi Stormsy,
I was shocked by a report on Radio Four last year highlighting Offsted's incompetance...they were given the role of collating child deaths, neglect, abuse, disappearance etc I think in 2009. The head of Offsted stood up in Parliament to report on their figures. Initially she said something like 288 children were involved in the previous year. Half an hour later she apologised saying that number was for 17 months and gave a different figure as an annual total. When asked for information as to the perpetrators of the murdered children she got stuck again as they had a tick box title as 'parent' not specifying mother or father.
We're meant to be a civilised country but I guess there's no votes in child protection, so it's not funded properly. I get the idea proceedures and policy lags way behind academic knowledge.

[Pipkin]

Hi there,

Yes, as an academy, the corporation is free to set its own CRB rules and choose its provider. There are 2 types of CRB check: standard and enhanced. My guess is that they are requesting enhanced due to the role involving working directly with children and this involves more paperwork.

I'm afraid what you've been told regarding originals of documents and passport is correct. These are in place to ensure no-one slips through the net and that schools get the most accurate information on employees' criminal records.

Although it's a real pain and can be quite stressful, my advice is just to go with it and try to be patient. The academy are within their rights and there isn't really anything you can do but wait.

Sorry not to be able to help more.

Pip x

[committeddoxy]

Can't do the passport option, Pipex and BT cocked up and put my name in the phone book when I changed provider. We ran and left the passport in the house. I simply haven't got the money for a replacement.
Hopefully the other school will let me provide the five lesser options.