With the advent of the pandemic it is noticeable that much goodwill by the general public as a whole has gone towards supporting local charities and those in need.
As a pensioner myself, I am fortunate to be healthy and have time on my hands to also give some support.
However, I have volunteered to assist two local causes but, having declared that I had spent the past 20 years living abroad, irrespective of having now settled here in Spalding for the past year, I was informed that I could not be taken on as it was not possible for the organisations to carry out a CRB check on my background.
The appropriate advice offered was that I could complete an online request to the appropriate Foreign Embassy covering the area I had lived in for a search to be made and at a cost to myself.
Additionally, the Embassy check needed to be authenticated by a appropriate solicitor, to authorise and translate the content of the documents – again at a cost to myself.
There is no doubt that the recent withdrawal from the EU will put a further spanner in the works. I am sure that the procedures quoted will be over-turned, changed or new legislation concocted.
Having already served a UK community for 30 years in a service role and with a clean slate, it apparently has no relevance whatsoever on the procedure.
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