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A short guide to the
Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure Process
for parishes in the Diocese of Southwark

This page provides a summary of the more detailed Diocesan Guide ‘Disclosure & Parishes’ which may be downloaded using the links below:

Downloads
(all files in pdf format)

• Short guide (this page in leaflet format) (81KB)

• Disclosure and Parishes (detailed guidance)
  (excluding appendices) (178KB)

• Appendix 1 (diocesan registration policy with the CRB) (136KB)

• Appendix 2 (parish policy statement) (64KB)

• Appendix 3 (agreement between diocese and parish) (88KB)

• Appendix 4 (assessing posts) (63KB)

• Appendix 5 (volunteer application form) (57KB)

• Appendix 6 (confidential declaration) (67KB)

Disclosure?

Before appointing someone to do certain kinds of paid or voluntary work, a Parish must now use the Criminal Records Bureau to check an applicant’s records which were previously separately held by the police, the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills.

Safer recruitment

This information has not been previously available to churches. Being able to identify candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially work with children or vulnerable adults, will make for safer recruitment decisions.

Who needs it?

Everyone who has unsupervised access to children, to young people under 18 and to vulnerable adults will need to be checked. Parishes are responsible for ensuring that checks are carried out on people working voluntarily as well as anyone they employ. Churches rely on such a large number of people that the new system is being introduced in stages. At first only new volunteers and employees need be checked. Parish Child Protection representatives, who will be responsible for checking others, will need to be checked first. 

Disclosure in the Diocese of Southwark

The Diocese of Southwark has registered as an Umbrella Body with the Criminal Records Bureau. This means that the Diocesan Office can relieve parishes of much of the expense and bureaucracy by processing applications for Disclosure on their behalf.

The Disclosure Process - Step-by-step

1. The PCC enters a formal agreement with the Diocese about the Disclosure process and agrees to observe the CRB code of practice and Diocesan policies and procedures, particularly about the security of information.

2. Parish Child Protection Representatives will first need to be checked, since they will be checking others. Where the parish priest is the Child Protection Representative, s/he too will need to be checked.

3. The Parish (normally the Child Protection Representative) assesses the post to determine whether Disclosure is required.

4. The Parish (the appointing body) makes clear to the people being considered for this work that the process involves CRB Disclosure and that appointment is subject to receiving clearance from the CRB.

5. The Parish (normally the Child Protection Representative) asks the applicant to fill in a Disclosure application and confirms the applicant’s identity by checking two or more identity documents.

6. The Parish also names the person who will be dealing with the Disclosure received from the CRB. (Normally the Child Protection Representative.)

7. The applicant sends the form to the Diocesan Office to be countersigned and sent on to the CRB.

8. The Criminal Records Bureau sends one copy of the Disclosure to the Diocesan Office and one to the applicant in about three weeks.

The Disclosure may be Positive or Negative.

If the Disclosure is Negative (clear)

This means the Criminal Records Bureau has no information on the person. The Diocesan Office informs the Parish representative named on the application form. The Parish is not sent a copy of the Disclosure and the Diocesan Office destroys its copy. The appointment can then be made.

If the Disclosure is Positive (information is disclosed)

This means the Criminal Records Bureau has information on the person. The Diocesan Office requests details of the post from the Parish, such as the job description. The Diocesan Personnel Manager and Diocesan Child Protection Officer assess whether the information on the Disclosure is relevant to the post.

If the information is assessed as not relevant, the Diocesan Office notifies the Parish representative named on the application form. The Parish is not sent a copy of the Disclosure and the information on the disclosure is not revealed. The Diocesan Office makes a note of the advice given, but destroys the Disclosure. The appointment can then be made.

If the Diocesan Personnel Manager and Diocesan Child Protection Officer decide the information is relevant and makes the appointment inappropriate, they send a copy of the Disclosure to the Parish with the advice that the appointment should not be made. It is for the Parish to make the final decision, but it is expected that, in the light of that advice, the appointment would normally not be made. It is for the Parish to notify the applicant, but the Parish may call on the Archdeacon for pastoral assistance.

If an applicant feels that the decision has not been made sensitively or fairly, an appeal can be made to an independent panel of assessors. More details of the appeals process are available from the Parish Child Protection Representative or the CRB Administrator at the Diocesan Office.

Useful Contacts

Your Parish Child Protection Representative
Details from your parish church or from the Diocesan Criminal Records Bureau Administrator

Diocesan Criminal Records Bureau Administrator
Linda Craven
Trinity House
4 Chapel Court
Borough High Street
London SE1 1HW
Tel: 020-7939 9400
E-mail: crb@southwark.anglican.org

Diocesan Safeguarding and Child Protection Adviser:
Jill Sandham
Tel: 020 7939 9423
Mobile: 07982 279713
E-mail: jill.sandham@southwark.anglican.org

More information

Criminal Records Bureau Information line
0870 90 90 811
www.disclosure.gov.uk

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© Diocese of Southwark
Last updated: 13/05/2008
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