CRB Checks and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act

CRB Checks and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act

If your research involves children or vulnerable adults you may need to gain Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) clearance, a requirement established in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

There are two forms of clearance: standard and enhanced.  Enhanced checks are required for work with children or vulnerable adults that involves ‘regulated activity’.

Regulated activity is defined as:

• Any activity of a specified nature (such as teaching, training, care, supervision, advice, treatment and transportation) that involves contact with children or vulnerable adults frequently (once a week or more on an ongoing basis), intensively (four or more times in a month) and/or overnight
• Any activity allowing contact with children or vulnerable adults that is in a specified place (such a school or care home)
• Fostering and childcare.
• Any activity that involves people in certain defined positions of responsibility, such as school governor, director of children’s services

There are a number of contexts where a researcher's activity might fall under the definition of 'regulated activity' and therefore an enhanced CRB check will be required.  This would include research which involves one-to-one or other unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults.

Researcher's who require a CRB check should contact Personnel (staff) or Jenni Hamilton in Registry Services (student).

A CRB Check will take time and this should be built into the your research planning process.