Driver Vetting & CRB Procedures

This page details the CRB procedures and other driver checks carried out by Cheshire East Council.

Following guidance from the Home Office on the Protection of Children (HOC 47/93) the Council insisted that all drivers and escorts who operate on Council contracts involving “unsupervised one to one access with children” must undertake a Police check. Therefore in 1996 the Integrated Transport Service implemented a registration system that ensured all driver / escorts operating on contracts transporting children were checked.

It was decided in consultation with the Chief Superintendent of Cheshire Police that as part of the registration process all driver / escorts must go through the same procedure every three years. To clarify which driver / escorts were registered the Council issued an identification badge.

Since March 2002 the procedure for implementing Police checks has changed whereas, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) now does checks previously carried out by the Vetting Unit at Cheshire Police Headquarters. There are several differences to the new procedure namely in addition to driver/escorts transporting children those transporting vulnerable adults will also need to go through the same registration process. There are now two types of check carried out. The first is for a standard disclosure and the second is for an enhanced disclosure. Integrated Transport Service due to the probability of unsupervised access to both children and adults insist on the enhanced check. Contained within the enhanced disclosure are checks carried out into the applicant’s background including criminal convictions, Department for Education and Skills information, Department of Health information and any other relevant information. As part of the new CRB procedure besides the Registered Body i.e. the Council receiving a copy of the disclosure the applicant will also receive a copy thus reducing confusion over information in certain cases.

Following receipt of the disclosure the Vetting Officer will make the decision to issue or decline the identification badge. Due to the nature of the work the Integrated Transport Service have been given an exemption from applying the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act therefore all convictions can be taken into consideration when registering a driver or escort. Factors taken into consideration are convictions relating to drugs, offences related to children or sex or to violent crime. If an applicant is refused the identification badge then there is an appeal process in place.

To significantly reduce the number of applications for the Council identification badge, the Council has introduced a limited CRB disclosure “Portability” process. This process allows taxi drivers who have recently (3 months or less) received a CRB disclosure via their Taxi Licensing Authority to be issued with a Council identification badge, providing the CRB disclosure is to the required standard. This process is know as "Portability". Although there has been major re-structuring of Cheshire's Councils the portability process will for the time being remain in place.

Portability of CRB disclosures will only be accepted via Cheshire's Taxi Licensing Sections and in some cases neighbouring Councils. CRB disclosures are not accepted from any other source.

Where to apply and How much does it Cost?

There will be a further change to the CRB application process and cost from Wednesday 10th August 2011.

Macclesfield Area

For the application of Enhanced CRB and badges you will need to visit the Customer Service Centre at Macclesfield Town Hall, Unicorn Gateway, Macclesfield, SK10 1EA.

The Macclesfield Customer Service Centre is open: 08:45am to 17:00pm Monday to Friday

Crewe Area

In Crewe the location for applications of Enhanced CRB and badges will stay the same at Delamere House, Delamere Street, Crewe, CW1 2LL, but will be carried out by Customer Services who are based on the ground floor.

The Crewe Customer Service Centre is open:

08:45 to 17:00pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

08:45 to 16:00pm Tuesdays

Prior to visiting a Customer Service Centre you will need to obtain an application form and these can be obtained for CRB's and badges by phoning the CRB hotline on 01244 973071.

When applying for your CRB at Customer Services make sure you state that you are contracted to undertake work for Cheshire East Transport and require the Enhanced CRB and badge.

Please use the Transport Direct Journey Planner to plan your journey to either of the Customer Service Centres. The Transport Direct site is not fully accessible, if you have difficulty using the site you can call the Cheshire Traveline for timetable information for any bus, rail or coach service serving Cheshire and Warrington on 0871 200 22 33 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras) open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm.

Cheshire Traveline can now accept calls using the Text Relay system. For more information visit the Text Relay website or call 18001 0871 200 22 33.

The nearest car park to Delamere House is Delamere Street Car Park.

The nearest car park to Macclesfield Town Hall is Jordangate Multistorey Car Park.

How much does it Cost?

As from Wednesday 10th August 2011 the cost to process a CRB and badge application will be £57.00; the cost to process a badge only application will be £13.

For further information please contact:

Information with regard to the CRB process, service levels and the documentation required can be obtained from either The CRB Website or from the Council helpline 01244 973071.