Glynis Ballard

Dear Headteacher,

Further to previous information about the establishment of the Criminal Records Bureau, I am pleased to able to confirm that the Bureau is now operational and we have received our first supplies of Disclosure Application forms, an example of which is attached to this letter.

Please destroy any remaining copies of either the old style Police Check Form or List 99 Request Form that you still have. The new Disclosure process will cover both types of check.

The new regulations provide for any staff in what is termed a regulated position to be required to be subject to the Disclosure process. This is deemed to be any staff whose normal duties involve carrying out work in an educational institution, and in particular a position that includes caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children.

In effect this means that all staff employed in a school will be subject to a check against police records. Teachers and other staff directly involved in the classroom will be subject to the Enhanced Disclosure process. Other staff will be subject to the Standard Disclosure process.

As you are aware, a key element of the new procedure is the verification of an individual’s identity by the checking of original documents. To help with this a proforma has been devised for you to use as part of the selection process, enabling you to ask interviewees to bring the necessary documents to the interviews and check them on the day. This will mean that it should not be necessary for individuals to send these through the post at a later date. The completed proforma should then be submitted to EPS along with the other appointment notification documents and subsequently checked against the completed Disclosure Application Form as supplied by your prospective member of staff. A copy of the proforma is attached.

It will not be necessary for schools to indicate which type of Disclosure is being asked for, this will be undertaken in EPS who will issue the appropriate Disclosure Application forms to all new members of staff along with their letters of appointment.

Volunteers will also be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form. They will be subject to the Standard Disclosure process. Schools will need to make their own arrangements to get the volunteer to complete the form. Supplies of the Disclosure Application forms for volunteers can be obtained by contacting your school’s Personnel Assistant. You will note that each form has its own unique reference number in the top right hand corner and therefore cannot be photocopied.

All Disclosure Application forms (for employed staff and volunteers) must be returned to EPS on completion for final checking and authorisation. The forms will then be sent on to the Criminal Records Bureau itself in Liverpool. Once the check has been completed, a copy of the Disclosure certificate will be sent to the individual concerned, as well as to EPS. Schools will then be notified that the check has been completed.

New Governors will also be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form as part of their appointment process and a supply of forms has been provided to the Governor Support Service for this purpose.

However, it is clear that there will be considerably more people subject to the new arrangements than under the old Police Check system.

As a reminder, checks for volunteers and Governors will attract no charge from the Criminal Records Bureau. Checks for all employees, students and trainees will cost £12. The fees will be borne centrally during this first year of operation.

I appreciate that the establishment of the Criminal Records Bureau will involve additional work for all concerned and will need some adjustments to procedures both within schools and as part of the recruitment process supported by EPS. However, it is important to remember that the purpose of the arrangements is to enable safer recruitment decisions to be made and hence protect the more vulnerable members of society. Your co-operation and patience are therefore much appreciated.

Yours sincerely

Bryan Slater

Director of Education

example Disclosure Application Form

Proforma