Criminal Record Bureau Checks (Enhanced Disclosures)

Crown Green

British Crown Green has a separate dedicated system and applications should be made to the Lead CPO, Mr Dave Collier, 11 Rushmere, Glossop SK13 8TH Telephone: 01457 868225, Mobile:07500 191420.

Flat Green codes and Short Mat

The NGBs for the Flat Green Codes and Short Mat use the auspices of The Media Group (TMG) as their umbrella body (which is a registered body that provides access to the CRB to other non-registered organisations).

TMG is based in Nottingham and has its principal communications business focussed on sport as an enterprise partner for the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR). In conjunction with the NSPCC Sports Unit it operates a not for profit Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) disclosure service which is used by the Football Association (FA) and a number of other sports. It is believed that by using this service our associations have a dedicated and confidential method of compliance with legislation, without the need of additional HQ staff and equipment

The fee for a volunteer application is currently (from 1 September 2009) £12.50 which covers the administration charge for TMG (there is no charge levied at present by the CRB), but when the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) is fully operational, the charging structure will be reviewed.

The procedure is straightforward, and guidelines for applicants will accompany the Disclosure Application. Both documents will be available to Association and Club Child Protection Officers on application from the designed NGB representatives named below.

Please forward the name and address of the person concerned, name of Club, and “post” for which the CRB applies (e.g. Child Protection Officer, Coach, Junior Coach). The necessary form will be sent to either the person concerned or the Club Secretary, together with instructions on how to fill it in, and a label for you to then forward to TMG with your cheque for £12.50 ]

Requests should be made in writing giving the name and National Insurance (NI) number of the individuals for whom they are intended and the position held in the association or club. Please ensure you send a self addressed C5 envelope (229mm x 162mm) with the appropriate postage to allow the form(s) to be sent to you

Forms can be obtained from

This list was last updated on 25 December 2009.

It is recommended that a record is kept of forms issued to members. It is the responsibility of the applicant to inform the association or Club Child Protection Officer or Safeguarding Officer (CPO/SO) of the results of the disclosure.

Clubs and Associations are reminded that the CRB Disclosure is the property of the individual and the CPO/SO should not keep the originals, merely making a record of the disclosure submitted.

CRB Disclosure fee

The CRB only levy a fee where the applicant receives payment for his/her position. The majority of applicants within the family of bowls are currently classed as volunteers and as such the only charge made is the administration charge to process through TMG

Application Procedure

The CRB application process is explained by clicking here

Checking of Documents for a CRB Clearance

Crown Green

British Crown Green have in place document verifiers throughout the aounties affiliated to the Crown Green Code. Contact Mr Dave Collier for more details.

Flat Green Codes and Short Mat

All other codes use TMG as their preferred supplier. Documents can be sent direct to TMG (you may prefer to send by secure posting) or you can arrange for your documentation to be checked and verifed on the CRB form by a licensed document verifier. Click here to find out how you can locate a verifier near you.

Why use TMG?

There are a number of benefits to accessing CRB checks via TMG. These are:

• TMG acts as an interface between the Joint Panel and the CRB.
• TMG will administer the process and acquire the CRB check on our behalf.
• TMG offer to the family of Bowls a great deal of experience in handling and processing CRB checks that can pay dividends in ensuring that the check is completed as quickly as possible.
• The Family of Bowls may, from time to time, only require a small number of checks per annum and cannot meet the threshold requirements or the terms for direct registration.
• TMG acts for the family of Bowls and many of the major sporting bodies in England providing help and assistance in order to comply with certain obligations contained in the CRB’s Code of Practice.
• The Joint Panel might lack the necessary administrative resource and the relevant expertise in handling criminal record information.
• TMG can provide a range of additional range of services. These include a dedicated account manager; a dedicated advice line; Database management; Risk Management; Consultancy; Training and advise and support on disclosed information.

Why use the NGB preferred service?

The detailed reasons for not using other services are:

• The Joint Panel cannot quality assure the process and guarantee that the process has been properly managed
• The Panel can hold the TMG to account if a Disclosure is issued with an incorrect postcode, spelling error etc. All of these things affect the quality of the Disclosure and help ensure the Joint Panel has the right information to work with. Other agencies will need to be challenged by the Club if there are errors.
• The Joint Panel and TMG have secure delivery addresses, storage and shredding arrangements and properly protected data.
• If a Local Authority or other agency is used and there are problems, then the Joint Panel cannot assist or advise with situations such as fingerprinting, escalating costs and chasing delayed Disclosures nor with dispute management or complaints. The Club will need to manage these alone.
• The Joint Panel works closely with TMG to ensure that the Code of Practice is met. This is a set of legal requirements that fall out of the Police Act 1997. If the Club uses a local agency and breaches the Code of Practice then the Club could be responsible for the potentially serious consequences.
• The Code of Practice has requirements re storage, destruction and information sharing. The Joint Panel manages this for Clubs and ensure they do not fall foul of the law. Using an independent agency means the Club must sign up to the Code of Practice, understand and adhere to it. Inspection by the CRB (Home Office) is possible.
• A Club may not share any Disclosure information with the Joint Panel. If the applicant is disclosed to be on the Sex Offenders’ Register (for example) the club will need to manage this and may not share this information with the Joint Panel or any other club. If the Joint Panel receives the Disclosure it can manage a national response. It should be clear to members that only with nationwide response can protection of children be enforced.
• The Joint Panel can access expert advice from the CPSU in difficult decision making.
• The Joint Panel can maintain a national register of checked coaches and enable coaches to move from club to club with a degree of confidence. If checks are managed by the club, the NGB cannot do this as it has no right to the information released
• A Disclosure may be issued with Additional Information. This is information that does not show on the applicant’s copy as it is only issued to the employer. If a check is done locally this additional information will be released to the Club. This information may be high risk, for example, pertaining to the downloading of indecent images or to investigations into allegations of harm to children. It would be illegal for the club to share this information with the applicant or with the Joint Panel. This means the club would have to deal unsupported with the situation. This is extremely difficult and challenging even for a NGB with legal, CPSU, TMG and insurance support.

Portability of CRB Disclosures

Portability refers to the re-use of a CRB Disclosure obtained for a post in one organisation and later used for a position in another.

In common with the CRB, The Joint Panel for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults does not endorse the use of a previously issued Disclosure due to the limitations and risks involved. If a Club or Association relies on a previously issued Disclosure, it should carefully assess the degree of risk in not obtaining up to date information regarding the applicant. The following are examples:

Limitations

• The Disclosure may not be at the correct level, ie, Standard instead of Enhanced.
• The Disclosure has no formal period of validity. Its information based on information at the date of issue may be out of date and not reflect the current situation.
• The Disclosure may not have included checking of the Protection of Children Act List (PoCA) and/or Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) and other lists now held under the Vetting and Barring Scheme administered by the Independent Safeguarding Agency (ISA)

Risks

• A previously issued Disclosure will not satisfy any requirement, legal or otherwise, for a fresh check.
• There is no guarantee that the Registered Body concerned with the previous Disclosure accurately and fully verified the person’s identity.
• The personal details (Name, address etc) may not now be valid. (a check on identity documents should be carried out.)
• Have you permission to verify the Disclosure with the former employer or Registered Body?

Vetting and Barring Scheme

Details of the current situation regarding the implementation of the Vetting and Barring Scheme can be found here.

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