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• University of Greenwich
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• Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Clearance

This is essential information for students registering on programmes requiring Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance.

If you have applied to study on a programme at the University of Greenwich that requires Criminal Records Bureau clearance, you will need complete a CRB Disclosure application. Having applied for Disclosure, you can still partially register but will not be fully registered until your application has been cleared.

Receiving your CRB Disclosure application

Once you have accepted an offer of a place on your programme, you will be posted a CRB Disclosure application by the Student Centre. There is a fee, which is collected by the university on behalf of the CRB. The completed forms and fee should then be returned to the Student Centre in the envelope provided.

You must alert your School if there any changes in your CRB status while you are registered at the university.   

Fees

The Disclosure fee is collected by the university on behalf of the CRB. School of Education students pay an additional charge of £10 to cover costs incurred by the university Medical Officer (included in the above amount). Cheques should be made payable to the University of Greenwich. Cash or card payments can be made in person in the Student Centre during normal working hours (postal orders cannot be accepted).

Please note that we are unable to refund the fee if, for any reason, you do not join the programme in September. In view of this, you may wish to wait until you have satisfied any conditions of the offer before submitting the application.

Completing your CRB Disclosure Application

The university has produced a guide to completing your CRB Disclosure application. Please print this guide out and refer to it while completing any sections of the form. Any mistakes or omissions will result in a delay in your CRB clearance and prevent you from registering as a student of the university.

Sending your CRB Disclosure Application

At busy times  of the year, eg the summer months, it can take many weeks for the CRB to  process applications. Please, therefore, allow sufficient time for the application to be processed prior to joining the programme. Your Disclosure will be sent to the address stated on your application and the university will receive a copy. As the Disclosure is part of your career portfolio, it is your responsibility to follow up with the CRB in the event of a lengthy delay. You should make a note of the Form Reference Number (located on the top right-hand corner of the application) as you need to quote this number when contacting the CRB. Their telephone number is 0870 9090844.

When you receive your Disclosure, please check carefully for any errors/inaccuracies, e.g. the spelling of your name(s), and notify the CRB immediately.

NB: The university does not accept Disclosures obtained through other Registered Bodies.

Students with an overseas address

If you have lived outside the UK within the last five years, you must obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct from your country of residence. This certificate should be presented to the Student Centre at or before registration, in addition to completing the CRB application. If you need help in finding out how to go about this, please refer to the information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

New regulations on CRB checks and the introduction of the Independent Safeguarding Authority

The UK Government has announced it has halted the implementation of the Vetting and Barring Scheme and registration with the Independant Safeguarding Authority pending a review.

We will update this page on how this will affect students when more detail is released. If you wish to know more about the introduction of the new regulations please the Independent Safeguarding Authority or the Criminal Records Bureau.

CRB portability 

Portability refers to the re-use of a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure, obtained for a position in one organisation and later used for another position in another organisation.  The CRB has clarified that it will no longer facilitate the portability of Disclosures and that organisations using portability do so at their own risk.  

Further information on CRB portability