Official Council Statement in Response to Mother's CRB Check ST29
11th July 2008 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council would like to clarify some facts surrounding recent press coverage about a CRB check being required of a mother in order for her to accompany her disabled son to school in a council arranged taxi .
The Council fully understands that the safe transport of her son, Alex, is of prime concern to Mrs Jones. This is also the paramount consideration for the Council and therefore the Council has acted upon that obligation appropriately. The Council has a duty of care to all vulnerable children and adults in its care and this case is no exception. At this moment Alex has a single transport arrangement however there could very well be instances whereby other vulnerable children could be transported along with Alex and Mrs Jones, hence the CRB requirement.
Sensitive to the needs of Mrs Jones and her son in this particular case, the Council has directly met with Mrs Jones to discuss the CRB issue and those discussions have been consistently friendly and accommodating. Mrs Jones has appeared to be fully understanding and supportive of the approach taken by the Council, but did express concern about payment for the CRB check. Sensitive to her particular needs, the Council volunteered to carry this cost. CRB checks are the normal verification approach taken across all Council services, and imply no assumed problem in regard to the individual being checked.
The Council is presently conducting a wide review of home to school transport provision in furtherance of guidance received from the Welsh Assembly Government earlier this year. This review involves internal Directorates along with external partners/stakeholders. The review will include the training arrangements for escorts used on home to school transport and will be reflected in a report to the Council recommending any necessary revisions to relevant policies and the means by which those revisions may be implemented.
The Council’s priority is, and will remain, to provide the best solution for each individual case, seeking to place the individual's needs first. The Council is acting responsibly in protecting the welfare of all vulnerable children in the Council’s care and also that of Mrs Jones.
Please note that this statement will be updated at the earliest opportunity.
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