Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that self-employed tutors are subject to criminal records checks.

Sarah Newton

Those wishing to engage a tutor to work with children may ask the tutor to show them an enhanced criminal record certificate obtained from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). A self-employed tutor can apply for such a certificate through an agency, which will process the application and confirm that the activity provides eligibility for the check. Alternatively, any individual can apply directly for a criminal conviction certificate which is available from Disclosure Scotland and which contains details of unspent convictions and cautions.

Where parents or others do not want to take on a tutor without the reassurance of a DBS check, they are free to limit their selection process to people who can show them a certificate from the DBS. Ultimately, it is for those engaging a tutor to decide who is a suitable person to fill that role, taking into account all the information which is available to them.