Many parents will be familiar with a CRB check.
For certain jobs in the UK, including those that involve working with children, you are usually required to have an enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check. When a company request a CRB check a person’s details are checked against various sources including the Police National Computer. The check reveals if they have a criminal record and any convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings. It may also show if an applicant has been barred from working with vulnerable groups. Tutors have not always been required to have a CRB check as most tutoring is carried out in the home and classed as a domestic arrangement.
At 121 Home Tutors we have always required our tutors to have a basic CRB check. In the last few weeks the CRB has become the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The idea behind the change is to bring the functions of certain checking bodies together – the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and reduce the number of people being checked. The change also means the certificate will be sent to an individual who can challenge the information before it reaches an employer. It will also see the end of a new check every time a new job is taken, with updates to a certificate now possible.
What does this all mean for tutors?
It won’t make a great deal of difference day to day. All new certificates will be branded DBS and old certificates still stand. You will now be able to port your certificate to a new job from Spring 2013. If you are a self-employed tutor you still can’t apply as an individual – you can use an umbrealla organisation or you may be able to apply through a trade or professional body. You can find all about the changes here http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/dbs/services/dbs-subscribe/
If you’d like to know more about tutoring for 121 Home Tutors (covering Manchester and Cheshire) you can contact us here.
Tags: CRB, DBS, Disclosure and Barring Service, tutor, what to look for etc