cycas Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 A friend of mine is trying to set up a small home based business as a childminder. She has a little girl of her own and this seems like a good way for her to be able to spend time with her daughter rather than going out to work and paying someone else. She's done all the research and preparation, and is now just waiting for her CRB check to come through so she can get started. It's coming up to 4 months since she applied, and still no sign of the CRB check - so she can't start her business, or get any other job working with children to tide her over - she can't even get a seasonal job with the Royal Mail, because for that, you need a CRB check... I have to say I'm pretty dubious about this system anyway: so far as I can see it deters genuine volunteers and people like my friend, while being no great obstacle to people who do have bad intentions but haven't yet been caught. It's her third CRB check in 5 years, too, so why on earth it's taken so long is a mystery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zico's mum Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 4 months sounds like a mix up somewhere,I've had several and they usually take about 20-30 days to do. There's an online tracking service,has she tried that yet? http://www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk/tracking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rufus the wonderdog Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Don't think it should take that long - has she checked up on her application I thought the average now was about 4 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murtle Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 Can only echo the others in that it shouldn't take that long. Full SC searches take up to 6 months BC takes less and CRB should be done by now! Hope she can find out where it's gone awry. Mxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted November 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I've passed that link on, thanks. I'm guessing she's used it already, but worth a try. Apparently Ofsted sat on it for almost a month before sending it on, then it was sent back to them because it wasn't properly countersigned by the Ofsted guys, so that accounts for 6 weeks of the delay. Latest she heard is that it's with the police, where it has been for the last 50 days. There doesn't seem to be any way of finding out who exactly has got it, what it's doing there or when it will be coming back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I doubt that you'll have much joy in speeding them up I'm afraid but re the Royal Mail they do the checks, she wouldn't have to get one so she probably could get the temporary job in the meantime if she wants to. One tv news report recently claimed they were just taking on temporary staff unchecked / regardless of convictions anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel n Hardy Posted November 12, 2009 Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I know they have changed some of the criteria as my CRB checks for teaching have taken about 4 months to come through All I am waiting on is the forms for me to sign and return, and they are on their way now, just hope cliffy doesnt try to open the envelope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted November 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2009 I doubt that you'll have much joy in speeding them up I'm afraid but re the Royal Mail they do the checks, she wouldn't have to get one so she probably could get the temporary job in the meantime if she wants to. It would still have to go through the same system ultimately though, so I think she's concerned that having another check put through might cause confusion or in some way delay the first one. One tv news report recently claimed they were just taking on temporary staff unchecked / regardless of convictions anyway If the checks are now taking 4 months, I can see why! I understand that more and more jobs and even quite casual volunteer roles are now demanding CRB checks, it sounds to me as though things might be getting clogged by the sheer volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Hello I work in CRB at my local police force. We get phone calls everyday from people wanting to expedite their application. We then prioritise them and let them know what's happening with it within 30 minutes (this is all part of the Citizen Focus pledge that we have signed up to). I would get your friend to phone the police force that the application is with and ask them to expedite it. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted November 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 That would be great, but she has been told that she's not allowed to know which police force has got the application until they've had it for 60 days, so at the moment she cannot contact them as she doesn't know who has got it. Because it took so long for the form to be sent off to the police, they have only had it for 50 days so far, so she has another 10 days to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 That would be great, but she has been told that she's not allowed to know which police force has got the application until they've had it for 60 days, so at the moment she cannot contact them as she doesn't know who has got it. Because it took so long for the form to be sent off to the police, they have only had it for 50 days so far, so she has another 10 days to wait. She could try phoning every police force she has lived in for the last 5 years and asking them if they have it, depends how desparate she is really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted November 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 LOL, I think she's getting quite desperate, I'll suggest that! Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kats inc Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 Trouble is it won't be a straightforward CRB it'll be an enhanced CBR because she's going to be working with children and they always take longer because the checks are more scrupulous. Hope she get's it sorted soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greys mum Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 We have several care workers waiting for their CRBs to come through. They have been taking ages recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted November 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 The silly thing is that she's been working voluntarily with a local children's group for 3 years, so has already had all the checks once. But because you have to be re-checked for each thing you want to use the CRB check for, she can't use that check to start her business. I think it's pretty daft that she had to pay for the check to be done again, when the poor woman has practically no money because she can't earn, because the CRB check is stuck... I get the impression that the requirement for CRB checks is putting off a lot of volunteers: it would certainly put me off if I had to wait 4 months before I could volunteer to help out with something! A different friend of mine does talks about science and careers for schoolchildren as a volunteer sometimes: she's got 3 concurrent CRB checks so far, but has now decided that she's just going to refuse to help with anything else that requires one because of the hassle factor. It's not like the checks even stop people molesting kids : Aaron Collis and Vanessa George both had clean CRB checks, because neither of them had been caught before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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