Nursery World - New check cards

With reference to the Criminal Records Bureau ('Gridlock!' and Letters, both 25 July), I am the mother of three qualified nursery nurses who all live at home, and so all have one address. One works at a council nursery, one at a private day nursery, and the third does two regular nannying slots and agency work. For all these posts, understandably they have to have police checks. But if they have to do extra children's voluntary work, such as scouting activities, church groups or summer clubs, they must have more police checks done. Why not issue every child worker with a small, credit card-sized certificate saying that they have been police checked, to save all the extra hassle and cost for everyone concerned? This could be shown at every place it is needed. In this day of technology, I am sure that it could be re-validated with the police every six months or so - then if a person had committed a child-related incident the permit would be withdrawn forever.

Why not issue every child worker with a small, credit card-sized certificate saying that they have been police checked, to save all the extra hassle and cost for everyone concerned? This could be shown at every place it is needed. In this day of technology, I am sure that it could be re-validated with the police every six months or so - then if a person had committed a child-related incident the permit would be withdrawn forever.

Thelma Doyle. Kensal Rise, London.

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