Boy Scouts to model for UK ID checks

[fgoodwin]

Boy Scouts to model for UK ID checks

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/04/scout_id/

 

By Mark Ballard

Published Wednesday 4th April 2007 10:11 GMT

 

The Scouts are prepared to help the Identity and Passport Service design a model procedure for checking people's identities against the ID database.

 

A pilot in June will help the IPS decide how to incorporate passports and ID cards into the identity checking process used by authorised agents of the Criminal Records Bureau, which are organisations that approve or deny people permission to work with children and vulnerable people.

 

A spokesman for the IPS and CRB said the Scouts were being used in the trial because they were one of the highest-volume CRB agents. At least one other agent would take part in a trial to create the "proof of concept" for the procedure over the next six months.

 

He admitted that the procedure had not yet evolved enough for the IPS to have decided it was feasible. That was the point of the trial.

 

"It's to help the IPS design ID-related services that will provide benefit to other business partners," he said.

 

A feasibility study might compare the cost of running identity checks against people requesting CRB clearance for a job application with the benefits in reducing identity fraud.

 

The spokesman said the current identity checking procedure used by CRB agents was 99.97 per cent proof and most of the mistakes were spotted by the applicants themselves when the CRB linked them with criminal records that were not theirs, as opposed to people fraudulently trying to get access to sensitive work.

 

Nevertheless, it is feared that people wanting to fraudulently get approval for working with children will use false identities when they apply for a police check.

 

Current checks are done by checking applicants' "biographical footprints" using documents like utility bills against the identity services of credit reference agencies.

 

Guy Herbert, general secretary of No2ID, said that applying biometric ID to CRB checks appeared to be a marketing exercise to mitigate the burden placed on them originally by the obligation on them to do background checks on job applicants.

 

Another group of vulnerable adults - people with criminal pasts - have been discriminated against by employers, either by mistakes in the CRB data drawn from the patchy police national computer, by being refused jobs illegally for minor or irrelevant convictions, or by having checks run - again illegally - for irrelevant jobs. The CRB is trying to root the discrimination out of the system.

[Pint]

The CRB checking process has been on going for quite a few years now, its no great problem.

one odd thing about the CRB ( Criminal records beureau) process in the UK is that you need a separate CRB form/clearance for each job you may have ( either voluntary or profesional) that involves working with Young people, or vulnerable adults, as CRB's are not transferable.

This means that you can end up with multiple CRB checks and clearance forms, i know of someone who has completed eight CRB forms.

 

THeres some information on it in the link below:

http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/hq/records/crb/

 

As for the article linked to above, it appears to have all the usual 'things wrong with it, just with the title:

 

"Boy Scouts to model for UK ID checks"

First of all its not been boy Scouts in the UK since the late 1960's 9 early 1970's), weve been partialy co-ed since the 1970's and from January 2007 we became fully Co-ed in all age ranges, in otherwords we can not refuse mebership to anyone regardless of their gender.

 

"CRB gets first dib dib dibs"

the term dib sib sib hasnt been used for a very long time, possibly not since the 1960's although it seems to suit the media people to trot out this phrase so they can keep the Scouting media streotype alive.

 

 

Back to the article, its probably based on this from the UK Scout association website (copy and paste jobby)

 

http://www.scouts.org.uk/scoutingplus/290307/290307v1.htm

 

Noticeboard

 

29/03/2007

Help the Criminal Records Bureau improve their service

 

As you may know, The Scout Association works very closely with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) in England and Wales to issue disclosures for those working with our youth Members.

At the last CRB Consultative Group meeting, on which the Association is represented, the CRB offered the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) an exciting opportunity to work with it on a trial to strengthen the current CRB identity checking process.

 

The CRB would now like to extend the invitation to Association Leaders and Commissioners in England and Wales to participate in this trial. This trial will focus on how it feels to use the proposed new identity checking service, which the CRB is considering bringing into the current CRB application process - which is why your input would be valuable so the CRB can find out what parts of it you like and don't like.

 

It is also a good opportunity to influence the development of future identity services offered by the IPS, to ensure they meet the needs of CRB customers and users of these services.

Your experience and feedback is sought to help CRB and IPS achieve their aim of identifying a simpler and more robust service.

 

The CRB is looking for volunteers willing to spare up to half a day to trial these new services. This will include experiencing different scenarios for the CRB application (using passports and future identity cards) - and giving your feedback. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed by the CRB and personal information that you have either previously given to the Association, CRB or IPS will not be used. Any information, which will be used on the day to test the service, will be destroyed immediately following the trial.

These trials will take place in several locations in England and Wales during June. The likely venues will be London, Cardiff, and Manchester or Leeds. The CRB is interested in gauging the level of interest from Leaders for each of the proposed venues before finalising the dates.

 

If you are interested in participating, please email your interest and state your preferred venue.

 

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