OXFORDSHIRE County Council is being swamped with more than 60 Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks every day as part of statutory vetting for teachers, care workers, youth football coaches and foster parents.

And councillors on both sides of the chamber have called for a change to the system that has been “strangled with red tape”.

Over the past three years the number of annual checks processed by County Hall has more than doubled, from about 7,000 to 15,827.

In some cases the same individual is checked multiple times if they work in more than one role that requires CRB clearance.

The council now has a team of four full-time staff and one part-time officer working to process the mountain of CRB forms and the operation is costing the council £337,625 a year.

CRB checks look into a person’s criminal record and are designed to ensure children and vulnerable adults are not put at risk.

Labour councillor Liz Brighouse said checks were needed but the current system was failing.

She said: “It is an imperfect system and we are spending a lot of money on it. The CRB check is only as good as the day you do it.”

She said plans had been in place to change the system under the previous Government but the new administration announced its own review.

Conservative councillor Nick Carter said child protection was an important issue but echoed the view that methods had to change.

He said: “The system needs to be untangled from the red tape that has strangled it over the last decade.

“I’ve yet to meet anyone involved with children through teaching or social work who is happy or confident with the current system.”

Bobbie Nuciforo is employed by two adults with learning difficulties in Steventon as a personal assistant.

She has been waiting since April for a CRB check for herself and staff she employs, through the county council acting as the ‘umbrella body’.

Mrs Nuciforo said: “They have been incompetent and unhelpful with the CRB.

“I’ve had several conversations with them and since then nothing has happened.”

Lucy Baxter, whose two sons are assisted by Mrs Nuciforo, said: “We’re both trying to sort this out and we are highlighting the issue that the system is flawed.”

The CRB was established in 2002 and checks are required for any person fulfilling a role that brings them regularly into contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults.

Council staff process checks – carried out by the CRB – for school posts including teachers, teaching assistants, parent helpers, caretakers and cleaners.

It also has to check social workers, care assistants and those involved in fostering and adoption and acts as the umbrella body processing checks for youth sports coaches, arts organisations and day centres.

The council said the increase in CRB applications last year was due to changes to criteria for Ofsted school inspections and projections for the current financial year show applications will decrease considerably.

Home Office spokesman Marianne Taylor said: “The Coalition Government has made clear its intention to bring the criminal records regime back to common sense levels and we will make an announcement in the near future.”