England and Wales - Criminal Records Checks

What is a criminal records check?

Criminal Records checks are just one aspect of ensuring that people working with children, young people or vulnerable adults are suitable to do so. The purpose of a criminal records check is to identify people who may be unsuitable to work with children or other vulnerable people. It also checks to ensure that the applicant is not legally barred from working with children or vulnerable adults. In England and Wales it is the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) (offsite link - new window) that carries out the checks.

There are proposals to augment the criminal records checking schemes with a vetting and barring scheme. In England and Wales a vetting and barring scheme was prepared which would have meant applying for registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) (offsite link - new window). This was supposed to have started in July 2010, however this has been put on hold whilst the scheme is reviewed by the government.

Currently criminal records checks are not readily transferable (portable) between organisations. However, because of the way that applications for criminal records checks are made by Friends, it is possible to treat the whole yearly meeting (and our various area and local meetings) as a single organisation.

How long does a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check last?

Criminal records checks give the information that is available at the time it is printed. Trustees have to decide how often to require new CRB checks. Most organisations ask for new CRB checks to be obtained every three to five years.

For Friends working at yearly meeting events, a criminal records check must less than three years old.