All Norfolk Headteachers

Dear Headteacher

CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU

Earlier in the term, MI Sheet 212/02, gave further guidance about the categories of staff and volunteers coming into schools who should be subject to the Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure process.

As I am sure you are aware, there remain difficulties with the CRB in responding to the increased demand for checks. The DfES has therefore issued further guidance relating to the need for disclosures to be undertaken for all volunteers and visitors coming into schools. You may well be aware that the decision had already been taken that, for the foreseeable future, school governors should not be asked to obtain disclosures. Governors will be subject to a check against List 99 and this will be arranged through the Governor Support Service.

This further guidance confirms that all volunteers who have regular contact with children in schools must have a List 99 check regardless of whether they have unsupervised access to children, and that volunteers with regular unsupervised access will be asked to obtain disclosures. However volunteers helping with single events and infrequent visitors to schools who do not have unsupervised access to children should not be asked to obtain disclosures.

Other situations where it will not be necessary to apply for a disclosure include:

Visitors who have business with the Head or other staff or who have brief contact with children with a teacher present;

Visitors who come on site only to carry out repairs or service equipment;

Building contractors, as children should not be allowed in areas where builders are working for health and safety reasons;

Volunteers and parents who only accompany staff and children on one off outings and trips that do not involve overnight stays;

People who are on site before or after school hours when children are not present.

There are of course many other categories of volunteers where Heads, working with their governing bodies, will need to apply their professional judgement in deciding whether disclosures are needed and the criteria that should be taken into account would include:

The duration, frequency and nature of the contact with children;

Any information that the school would have about the volunteer;

Whether the volunteer is well known to the school community;

Whether the volunteer has other employment, or undertakes voluntary activities where referees could advise on suitability;

Any other relevant information about the volunteer or the work they are likely to do.

By giving further guidance about who should be subject to the disclosure process, it is anticipated that the number of checks undertaken will decrease and the CRB will be able to respond to disclosure applications more quickly and hence provide an improved service. Copies of the DfES guidance are being sent to schools in their December mailings.

In the meantime, attached to this letter is a proforma that schools could use to request List 99 checks for those categories of volunteers etc who will not be subject to the disclosure process. The form may be photocopied for future use and should be returned to Education Personnel Services, where the check against List 99 will be undertaken and schools will be informed of the outcome.

Yours sincerely

Bryan Slater

Director of Education