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Criminal Records Bureau

Volume 708: debated on Wednesday 4 March 2009

Question

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce measures to allow the portability of Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure checks for people moving between similar jobs in the looked- after children sector. [HL1701]

We understand that there is some cost and effort involved in obtaining new CRB disclosures for each new member of staff. However, there are risks associated with porting disclosures. For example, there may have been a new offence committed since the previous disclosure; the disclosure may have been tampered with; or the person's identity may have been checked incorrectly. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that their staff are suitable to work with children. Therefore, the employer should satisfy themselves that checks have been completed correctly and that the employer has the full information to make a decision.

The introduction of the vetting and barring scheme from October 2009 will improve safeguarding arrangements. However, we have proposed to continue the requirement for CRB checks as it is important those who employ people who work in the looked-after children's sector have access to the more finely grained criminal history in order to decide on suitability. We will review current statutory requirements for CRB disclosures once the vetting and barring scheme has been fully implemented across the workforce.