F e d e r a t i o n N e w s
I find this yet another hurdle to overcome for forces families; I’m not even applying for a paid job. While I can understand that the safety of the children is paramount, I find it unbelievably frustrating and a complete waste of resources and time. The certificate is going to take about 10 weeks to come through. By this time, my family could well be posted again, and I will have to go through all this yet again, if I decide to help out at the next school. I have a previous CRB certificate obtained before I moved here from our last RAF station and did not have to have the extended check for the USA.
Rant and rave over, but still a little hacked off! An exasperated wife
The Policy as it Stands The Federation were concerned that the information given in this instance regarding ‘extended checks’ following an overseas posting were not quite accurate.
The Frustrations
This type of issue, and the impact that it has on Service family life, forms a key part of our ongoing work with the SPCP which seeks to ensure Service personnel and their families are not disadvantaged by virtue of the fact that they are part of the Armed Forces.
The Federation’s Involvement In seeking to clarify the position the Federation passed the information (with permission) to the SPCP team. In turn they entered discussions with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the County Council concerned.
Existing Policy
It seems there is existing policy for Service personnel and their families who have served overseas and need CRB checks when they return to the UK.
An extract from the Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education Statutory Guidance states:
‘Forces Staff and their Families – All Service Personnel are subject at all times to the Service Discipline Acts (SDA) as are their families and UK based civilians (UKBC) when based or employed overseas. All convictions under the Military Criminal Justice System for recordable offences committed by service personnel (in the UK and overseas) or civilians subject to the Service Discipline Acts (overseas only) are recorded on the UK Civilian Police National Computer (PNC) and are available to CRB as part of their routine checks. In addition, CRB has access to information held
20 Spring 2010
at the Service Police Crime Bureau (SPCB) in relation to serving or former members of the Armed Forces’.
From a Position of Knowledge If you are applying for a CRB check and have lived overseas because of a Service posting, make sure the relevant school or organisation know that you are part of a military family and are therefore exempt from the extended CRB checks. If you do encounter problems, please contact the RAF Families Federation.
Still more to Do Although this is a positive outcome for families who have lived overseas, it still does not address the issue of the portability of CRB checks within the UK. Current policy is that there is a need to apply for a new CRB check every time you move location and are working with, or volunteer to support, children or vulnerable adults. (Organisations are able to accept a previous CRB check but rarely do!) The issue of CRB portability is currently being looked at by the MoD and the Home Office and we will keep you informed of any developments.
DoYou have an Input? If you have been affected by these issues, or find yourself in a similar situation please speak to one of the Federation team on 01780 781650 or report it via the website at
www.raf-ff.org.uk so that your evidence can also help influence the debate.
The Federation’s Involvement in Other
High Level Work Election Voting from Out of Area Readers from overseas locations, or with partners deployed to Afghanistan, may be interested to know that a Minister-led Working Group has been established to consider ways of enhancing the ability of those persons to participate in UK elections. Members include the Fams Fed, MoD officials, Ministry of Justice and Electoral Commission officials. The main concerns are that postal voting often precludes personnel getting their votes in on time owing to the short (11-day) window. Proxy voting is an alternative but is not considered appropriate by many.
Efforts are focussed on delivering an enhanced service for all personnel deployed to Afghanistan to be able to register and vote in the coming General Election. The system will use the Air Bridge to get registration and then ballot papers to and from theatre and
information about this process will be cascaded via the chain of command in theatre. We will also carry the information on our website. Personnel deployed to Afghanistan will still be able to vote by proxy if they wish.
In the longer term, alternative methods of voting are being evaluated. The consensus from the Working Group is that e-voting should be an option in future but the costs and implications of this need to be fully investigated and assessed. The introduction of any form of electronic voting would require changes to primary legislation so will necessarily await the next Administration. We have provided raw data from the ‘Quick Vote’ on our website (80% in favour of e-voting) and we stand ready to do further research once the details of a proposed system have been articulated. If you have any views on voting from overseas, or indeed, voting as a member of a military family full stop, let us know!
Service Families Employment and Skills Task Force The Service Personnel Command Paper prompted high-level interest in the challenges faced by Service family members in accessing training and employment. A Task Force was established on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister. A Report is due to be published in March10. Key areas are:
• Establishment of Armed Forces ‘Champions’ in Job Centre Plus Districts
• An information portal via the RBL’s ‘Civvy Street’ and DirectGov sites to pool information on training/employment opportunities available.
• A public transport survey identifying gaps in provision for military communities (we have provided evidence on known problem areas in the RAF).
• A mapping exercise by the Department for Children, Schools and Family to identify gaps in the reach of Children’s Centres and Sure Start facilities.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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