Main heading

Transport & Regeneration Service's registration procedure for driver/escorts that operate on the Council’s contracts.

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 Transport and Regeneration 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. Transport and Regeneration 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 Transport and Regeneration 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 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".

Portability of CRB disclosures will only be accepted via the eight Cheshire Taxi Licensing Authorities. CRB disclosures are not accepted from any other source.

All applications for the Council identification badge must be taken to the applicant’s nearest Bus Station Information Office. These are based at:

Chester Bus Exchange Princess Street Chester CH1 2EF Chester Office Map	Crewe Bus Station Delamere Street Crewe CW1 2JA Crewe Office Map	Northwich Bus Station Watling Street Northwich CW9 5EX Northwich Office Map
Ellesmere Port Bus Station Civic Way Ellesmere Port CH65 9AP Ellesmere Port Office Map	Macclesfield Bus Station Queen Victoria Street Macclesfield SK11 6LP Macclesfield Office Map

As from the 28th January 2008 the cost to process a CRB application is £46.00; the cost to process a badge only application is £10.

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