Criminal Records Bureau Disclosures

How parishes obtain CRB Disclosures for volunteer children’s and youth workers

Between 2002 and December 2010, the Diocese was a Registered Body with the Criminal Records Bureau, acting as an Umbrella Body in order that Parishes could obtain CRB Disclosures for those volunteers working with children and young people. It has now been decided that it will be better to outsource this work and the Diocese has made an agreement with the Churches Agency for Safeguarding (CAS) to do so. We recommend that parishes make use of this arrangement.

More detail about this change can be found on the documentCriminal Records Bureau Parish Administration Changes, November 2010, below.

Churches’ Agency for Safeguarding
The Churches’ Agency for Safeguarding (www.churchsafe.org.uk) is an umbrella body set up by Christian Denominations and organizations (including the Methodist Church of Great Britain, the Baptist Union and the United Reformed Church) to provide CRB Disclosure checks for the employees and volunteers of its full member groups and its associate member groups. The Diocese of Oxford has become an Associate member.

Continuing Diocesan CRB services
The Diocese will continue to work directly with clergy, ordinands, LLMs, paid youth workers and Diocesan staff employees in obtaining CRB Disclosures.
Parishes with paid youth workers should obtain CRB application forms from the Diocesan Youth Adviser, Ian Macdonald, when new appointments are made or renewal of CRB is needed. Ian will not be able to countersign CAS application forms.

LLMs will be approached by Diocesan officers about CRB matters. Where parish verifiers are asked to verify an LLM ‘s identity for CRB purposes, they should expect the CRB form and identity checklist to from the Diocese (and not from CAS). The LLM concerned will send the paperwork to the Diocesan LLM Adviser for countersignature.

CRB forms for clergy continue to be administered by the Area Bishops’ offices. Ordinands’ forms are handled by the Diocesan Directors of Ordinands.

For further information, please contact

Useful CRB documents