Hopefully you folks can help me here – as a self employed person It appears I cannot request my own CRB check??
Any ideas how true this is and, if right, how do I get a check done?

Offer to help on a school trip 🙂

LOL – starting to think i might have to do something like that…..

Just checked on Disclosure Scotland (the responsible body north of the border). As a self-employed person, you can get a Basic Disclosure, but not a Standard or Enhanced.

You need who ever is responsible for whatever it is they want you to do to submit the request for a CRB to the home office.

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CRBs are post specific, so if you work in a school and a nursery, you would need to fill out two forms.

You can only get one done when you work or volunteer for an employer who requires you to have one and they lead the process.

Once done the CRB check is only valid for that employer. If you are freelancing like I do, for healthcare training, you should in theory have one for each different employer.

The intention of the system is good but the implimentation is rubbish.

There is a plan to make CRB transferrable but then they will need to be updated every year or so.

At £40 a go it has turned into another government inspired money-making scheme.

Better Link

they also need renewing evry 3 years as a quality control (can we have some more money) measure

As you’ve already spotted, as a self employed person you need an umbrella organisation to process the form. If you have some work lined up with a particular body such as a school, they should be able to process a form for you, but if you are trying to register in advance of getting a contract you need a general umbrella organisation for your sector. I don’t think there is one for photography, but there are a couple for general work with schools. This one has a good rep

Contact:Julie Jones

Contact address:
Working with Schools Ltd
The Educational Institute
Church Hill
Arnside
Cumbria
LA5 0DF

Email:
jjones@workingwithschools.co.uk

Phone:
01524-762777
Fax:
01524-762777
http://www.workingwithschools.co.uk

I would have said this is all about to change(for the better) due to the introduction of the Independent Safeguarding Authority going live on 12th October, but being a government project they quietly slipped out a press release last week saying it’s been put back another year due to the usual numptiness.

I need to get three done for different licences and other gumf – still dont have a clue how they get done though.

cheers all – very, very useful – if a bit worrying – in as much as it appears there is no ‘cover all’ check – could be a royal pita if the school job comes off and leads to after school activities – weekend footy and all that….

The idea is that you say upfront all the possible things you might be likely to do in the future. Our LA treats them as transferable if they are less than 3 years old, and done by or for a job in the same LA. (But then this is Doncaster and child protection here is famously not that hot)

Just got my enhanced one done again but it’s the company who want the info rather than yourself. And even they need to be registered and have a reason e.g. School, Doctor etc.

I need to get three done for different licences and other gumf

What licences? If it is a requirement, they (the awarding body) should do enhanced one.

As above, its not transferable, but some LEA’s employers are happy to see a copy as long as its less than a year old.

Hi, I got one done as a self employed photographer to work in schools. I went via my county council who were very helpful. Just checked mine and under position applied for it says “Freelance Photographer”. I would suggest getting in touch with the CRB department of your local council, and see if you can apply for one via them.

No-one at any nurseries I’ve worked in has ever queried it, although I got a p/t job recently working with children (not photography) and the woman in charge of CRB checks did question whether it was valid. I know it says everywhere you can’t apply as a freelance, but give it a go.

WOW! thanks again all – anna – will certainly follow that one up with the local council!
Only thing (for now) is the (potential) job is through connections down south, i’m in Yorkshire which is, i guess, stretching ‘transferable’ a bit….