Devon Cricket Board - Welfare Officer Update

Welfare Officer Update - July 2013

There have been various amendments recently to the procedure for obtaining DBS (formerly CRB) checks and the information below has been sent to all welfare officers by the ECB. This covers all the important recent updates and gives links to further information. If you are a club welfare officer, please take a few minutes to read the revised guidance and ensure that you are following the correct procedures.

There is also more information available on the Child Protection Sport Unit (CPSU) website at www.thecpsu.org.uk. This will provide people with details about safeguarding within sport and offer resources to help in their work, such as a link through to the ECB.

If you have any queries about any of the information provided, please contact James May on james.may@devoncricket.co.uk

Dear Club Welfare Officer,

The England and Wales Cricket Board is emailing you, as our attendance records from Safe Hands Workshops indicate that you are a current Club Welfare Officer. Please accept our apologies if this is no longer the case, and please let us know at safeguarding@ecb.co.uk

Following the Government’s announcement on 23rd May, please follow the links below to guidance on the changes to the processes involved in securing DBS checks (previously CRBs) and ECB vetting for roles with children.

There are numerous changes to tell you about, and we have tried to achieve a balance between brevity and detail. There are several different networks in cricket that we are communicating these changes to and we have worked to try and prevent duplication of correspondence where possible, but if you have received this information already, then please accept our apologies.

The main changes are:

Changes to the eligibility criteria for checks – the ECB has determined that the roles which were previously subject to CRB checks and ECB vetting, continue to require DBS and ECB vetting.
Online Update service – individuals making NEW DBS applications will have an option of registering for an Online Update service
The issue of DBS certificates to the applicant only – from 17th June only the individual will receive the paper copy of the DBS certificate. We are putting in place the process for the ECB (through TMG CRB, who process all DBS applications on our behalf) to request individuals to send these to us for review. This is a major change and one that will require considerable effort on our part.
Filtering out of old and minor offences. This is a decision the DBS has made following legal challenge. We are comfortable that there are no safeguarding implications for the ECB.

ECB Vetting Checks – Information for Club Welfare Officers
ECB Guidance on Vetting Checklist
How to determine which roles are 'regulated activity' with children in cricket

In order to prepare for the changes that will come into place from the 17th June, we have been working closely with TMG CRB to put appropriate systems in place. In particular, TMG CRB will be entering all applications received onto their online applications system (known as e-bulk). In due course, individuals will be able to make applications online themselves, without having to use paper forms, and this is vital preparation for this change also.
If individuals have experienced delays in recent weeks whilst the systems have been updated internally, we do apologise.

The ECB remains committed to ensuring that cricket provides a safe and welcoming environment for children; and to supporting clubs, leagues, panels and everyone involved in the game to be able to meet their safeguarding responsibilities with enthusiasm. Ensuring we have the right people working with our children is crucial; DBS and ECB vetting helps us ensure we achieve this. We will continue to endeavour to make this as simple as possible for everyone involved in the game. We welcome queries or suggestions on safeguarding@ecb.co.uk

Best wishes

Richard Desjardins
ECB Safeguarding Manager

DCB Ltd, University of Exeter Sports Hall, Stocker Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 4QN Company Registration Number: 7024773