CRB: Criminal Records Bureau

Safe Hands | Info & Advice | CRB | Club Welfare Officers | Links

To obtain a CRB Application Pack please email ecb@tmgcrb.co.uk with your name, address and role within the club

Who needs a CRB?
ECB list of positions which need CRB disclosures.
For roles which fall into the ‘at discretion of club’s assessment of role’ category it is advisable to add a note explaining that the candidate will have unsupervised contact with children, this will help to avoid CRB checks being returned unprocessed. If you have a volunteer who has contact with children but their position is not on the list of posts (i.e. not a coach, umpire, scorer etc) they can be vetted under the title of JUNIOR CRICKET SUPERVISOR.

ECB guide to who requires a CRB.

How do I obtain a CRB form?

New application forms are in circulation. They include the ISA registration section which is to be left blank at this time.
For an application pack please email ecb@tmgcrb.co.uk with your name, address and role within the club. Please be aware that renewal applications will be sent automatically up to three months in advance and a renewal candidate will only have to request a form if they have moved house since their last CRB check.
Lost CRB certificates cannot be replaced but the County Welfare Officer would be happy to write a covering letter stating the person’s name, address, CRB expiry date and form reference number – this is one reason why record keeping is so important within clubs.

N.B. the current government review is looking to implement CRB applications on line – watch this space.

Overseas Vetting Checks

It is just as important to have a check carried out on overseas coaches. A non UK vetting form will have to be completed and returned to the ECB along with a copy of the candidate’s passport, visa to enter the UK and police check from their home country.
Download Non UK Vetting form

The Overseas Vetting form lasts only for the calendar year in which it is issued i.e. a new form will be required every season.

How do I get my CRB signed off?

There are about 50 evidence checkers in Essex who will need to see the candidate with their three forms of ID. It is advisable for clubs to arrange for group sessions where a checker can visit and sign all CRB forms together.
The list of evidence checkers is included in the CRB application pack, or you can contact your County Welfare Officer for advice. There are also a number of people at the ECCB who can sign off CRB forms: Pat Ward, Graham Jelley, Dave Letch and Graham Pryke.

What if someone already has a CRB for a different sport / job / voluntary position?

The Criminal Records Bureau does not currently facilitate portability so all governing bodies require a CRB disclosure specifically for them. This is due to change with the review being carried out by the government – watch this space for further news.
If a new club member says they have been checked through their previous Cricket Club you can ask your County Welfare Officer to check the ECB records.

For how long is a CRB valid?

In cricket you need a new CRB every three years. Each governing body/employer can choose their own time span so your other CRBs may be valid for anything between one and five years.

How old do you need to be to obtain a CRB?

A CRB can be obtained by people as young as 14. ID for those with no bills etc in their name can be replaced with a letter from the head teacher stating their name address and that they are a pupil at the school.

N.B. Umpires under the age of 16 are not required to have a CRB. This was agreed by the Ethics and Compliance department at ECB some time ago.

Paying for CRB disclosures

Volunteers do not pay for a CRB disclosure, but if you have a paid coach or any other paid position which would have unsupervised contact with children under 18, the disclosure will encounter a fee.

According to the Criminal Records Bureau:
‘a volunteer is person who is engaged in any activity which involves spending time, unpaid (except for travelling and other approved out-of-pocket expenses), doing something which aims to benefit someone (individuals or groups) other than or in addition to close relatives’.

If you are a volunteer, your section x verifier will cross the volunteer box in section Y.

For those that need to pay enhanced checks currently cost £44.

CRB check results

The CRB certificate is sent to the individual and the ECB only. If something shows on the certificate which is of concern the ECB will alert the club (via the county) and the appropriate action will be taken. Action could be anything from the ECB asking the indicidual for more information about the circumstances of a conviction to the implementation of a ban on cricketing activities.
The county/club is not contacted when a CRB check shows no concerns for the individual working with children or vulnerable adults. Once the certificate has been received the individual needs to let the club welfare officer know the date of the certificate for the club records.
•    Photocopies of certificates should never be taken by clubs, schools or other organisations.
•    Lost certificates cannot be replaced.

Coaching in schools

In the past year or so schools have, quite understandably, become more stringent in who they allow through their doors. Schools expected to be able to see coaches’ credentials on demand and they are checking that CRBs have been carried out. We are trying to avoid the possibility that each school puts coaches through a CRB check before they can start the coaching by advising the schools that their ECB CRB is sufficient in the school environment as the coach is working for the club, not the school.
If a school asks a coach for his/her CRB there is no legal obligation for the coach to show it, most schools are only looking for the date and number for their records. If the coach des not wish to show the certificate please refer the school to the County Welfare Officer who can provide a letter of assurance that a CRB has been carried out and that there is no reason why the coach should not work with children. Remember that a school can refuse entry to anybody if they see fit so please avoid heated confrontation.

Self Declaration Form

The ECB and ECCB no longer advocate the use of self declaration forms. Although other organisations do use a system ofself declaration or self discosure these forms do not constitute an appropriate vetting procedure in the eyes of the law. If a member of staff/volunteer has regular, unsupervised access to children then they need to have a CRB check. If you have a volunteer who has contact with children but their position is not on the list of posts (i.e. not a coach, umpire, scorer etc) they can be vetted under the title of JUNIOR CRICKET SUPERVISOR.

We understand that unforeseen circumstances often mean that a parent volunteers at the last minute. This is fine but as soon as people become regular volunteers then a CRB check must be completed.