IT IS understandable how Oxfordshire County Council’s security policies have been caught out by the case of John Hetherington following his arrest for committing an indecent act while driving a bus.
Hetherington was able to move to another job driving a school bus without the council or his new employer being aware of his arrest.
The county council’s position is that Hetherington had received CRB clearance in 2011 and would not have needed a fresh check for three years. A new check would have brought his indecent actions to their attention. But it is hard to kick the council too much in this instance because it says it was following its policy.
However, we would urge that in the light of this case, the council adjusts its policy so whenever anyone with access to children or the vulnerable starts a new job they undergo a fresh CRB check even if they had one in their previous job. This may be a rare scenario but we are dealing with protection of children and eliminating all risk must be the council’s focus.
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