Important Information regarding CRB checking and the ETTA
With effect from the 1st December 2012 the Criminal records Bureau (CRB) has become the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) following its merger with the Independent Safeguarding Authority.
In terms of the existing CRB checking process used by the ETTA the only difference will be the branding on the CRB certificate which will now be DBS.
The following will apply from 1st December 2012:
• Existing CRB certificates will remain valid.
• All personal information details will be transferred across to the DBS.
• DBS certificates will be issued for all checks completed after 01.12.12.
• All services will continue as previous but just have the new name and logo.
The ETTA has recently moved over to the online system for processing checks and here there will be no change to the system just a change of name from CRB to DBS.
These changes are all part of new legislation currently being introduced as a result of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The Act has also changed the criteria for those roles requiring a check so please check the following information before applying for a DBS check.
To be eligible for an Enhanced DBS check, the role that an individual is undertaking must be ‘Regulated Activity’. The definition of Regulated Activity is any activity which involves contact with children which is of a specified nature (e.g. teaching, training, care, supervision, advice, treatment or transportation) and which occurs frequently, intensively and/or overnight. To meet the threshold for “frequently” the activity must take place once a week or more and for “intensively” the activity must take place 4 times or more in a month.
Following the Government’s eligibility guidelines the following roles are no longer eligible for a DBS check as the role is not of a specified nature and therefore not Regulated Activity: Referees, Tournament Organisers, and Umpires.
The supervision of players at events would be the responsibility of the respective team coaches/managers/parents/guardians, not the referee or umpires. This would mean that even if a referee or umpire meets the frequency test, he or she would not meet the eligibility test as they would not be deemed to be in a “supervisory” role for these purposes.
DBS checks should not be requested for adults who are simply “around” children in a club environment – only for those who hold a role that meets the Regulated Activity threshold set out above.
The following roles are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check: Coaches, Club/League Welfare Officers and Junior Team Managers but only if their role meets the definition of Regulated Activity.
There is no longer the requirement to carry out checks on club, league, county or regional officials handling data relating to young people.
Please note that DBS checks should be conducted as part of a safe recruitment process and not as the only element of recruitment. It is important, irrespective of any DBS criteria, that everyone in table tennis follow safe recruitment procedures.
Further guidance is available on the Home Office website – www.homeoffice.gov.uk