The CRB check does not protect anyone

I was doing some work for charity yesterday which involved knocking on doors and giving out small presents and a Christmas card to people who lived on their own. Everyone was pleased to see me and it was a very pleasant experience. It also involved going into sheltered accomodation.

On one occassion the first person let me in and I then went to see the manager because I had more to give out and I presumed that they would want to know about me. Unfortunately the manager was nowhere to be seen. In another home I had two presents to give out but in this case I couldn't get in because they weren't at home and the manager wasn't there too. I will try again tomorrow but if there had been a letterbox then the card and present would have been delivered. On the one hand I am concerned about the separation from society which is created by these homes, and on the other I can see gaping holes in security, but my main concern today is about the CRB checks.

I have a few CRB checks and one of them is relevant to the work I was doing. However nobody I met today knew this. The CRB check does not protect anyone. It does allow organisations to defend themselves from any allegations and they can then say they have gone through the due process, but this process is expensive and inefficient. I have had quite a few checks and all of them are only useful on the day they are issued. My greatest concern is for the safety of the individual and it is not affected by any police check.

I have written a previous blog about the decision to create a need for CRB checks followed the Soham murders. Ian Huntley would not have been prevented from carrying out the murders if this legislation had been in place. My suggestion is to find a drawing board and go back to it.

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