Is there a French equivalent of the DBS (disclosure and barring) check

Is there a French equivalent of the DBS (disclosure and barring - what used to be the CRB) check?

Is the “casier judiciaire” referenced if people want to work with kids (or vulnerable adults) - specifically in this case a school exchange programme?

No1 son’s school is running an exchange but has wheedled out of getting DBS checks done for the UK families by merely “acting as broker” for a private arrangement for accomodation.

I’m just trying to gauge how the approach differs (or not) in France.

I’ve used a casier judiciaire for working on campsite in France for UK school groups run by a UK company. The UK company accepted it because I told them it was the equivalent of a DBS and they didn’t know any different. The UK system is horrendously complicated and expensive and long drawn out, the French system is very quick and simple and free and seems to me to tell everyone what they need to know. I think there is a more advanced check that can be obtained in France but since they were happy with my casier judiciaire I never looked any further.

The short answer is no. Half the reason it is so difficult organising school exchanges is the hoo-ha about dbs checks for host families because of the hysteria in the UK about them and UK schools’ demanding that we produce them for the families involved.

Given that, at least the last time I checked, DBS did not extend beyond our shores requiring a “DBS check” for a French citizen seems doomed to failure :frowning:

But you are right, there is hysteria in the UK about this sort of thing, without foundation 99.999% of the time.

This is quite sad. My passion for France came from the school exchanges I enjoyed so much. If they don’t take place because of the fear of the 0.001% then I’m not sure what it says about us all and the world we’re creating for ourselves.

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Precisely. Explaining to someone in the UK that we don’t have such a thing sends them into a flat spin. As it is even once we have got around that problem, they insist that the French host families take at least two pupils, which isn’t always possible (and in my view isn’t a good thing anyway). They are hellish to work with ( because of admin and/or pressure from the families), they get massively worked up about all sorts of things and frankly as the pupils concerned are 17 or 18 or even older I think it is ludicrous. But you would think the people in question were 3 or 4 the way they nanny them, it is quite extraordinary. Especially as NONE of the French families concerned or the organisers (eg me) have those particular concerns.

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+1.
Plus, the checks don’t work. Several people I know who don’t actually live in the UK have filled in the forms with a UK address where they have a tenuous connection, sent off their money and received their certificate. Would the UK know if they had convictions in another country? I don’t think they would.

But if you’re dealing with people in the UK who agree that the checks are worthless hoops to be jumped through, then if you can give them a piece of paper and they have a certificate number to write in their box, they’ll be happy and you can get on with real life.

I had one done here for work in the UK, you go on the website it is free and you can have upto 3 of them. After that you pay.

Hello all,
I was very interested in your posts over the UK hysteria of DBS for all host families. I am an organiser in Birmingham, UK. I receive around 10-15 school groups each year. Never had a problem from any French/Czech republic group demanding to see DBSs for my host families. 90% of my families do have them anyway, but a few of my older single female hosts have raised concerns that they don’t have one and have asked me what they should do about it. Even when I’ve explained that French/Czech are not concerned with this, the hosts are still a little uneasy about it. My students are always placed in a minimum of 2 students per household. Anyway, if you would like to send a group here to Birmingham, I’d be happy to organise your host famillies and daily itinerary. l.mistry@aol.co.uk

Hello Lisa and welcome to our Forum. :relaxed::relaxed::relaxed:

Thank you for your welcome!

Lisa

07702 504495

I was a regional hockey umpire for many years in the UK, (including umpiring 8 year old girls who are now Olympic champions! ) CRB was required. Same with Mrs M who had Security Clearance but still needed CRB clearance.

Moving to France, one of my jobs was as a 53 seater school bus driver. No crim checks or any questions asked; I found it very weird when the little gemains insisted in giving me a bisou as they got on the bus.

I gave it up as I preferred driving the empty bus, blood levels rose when the little angels boarded. My time now is spent giving frelons the Liverpool kiss!

Just a thought… but perhaps you were “vetted” without you knowing.

I was somewhat startled when a friend at the Mairie congratulated me for having an impeccable character… what on earth??.. seems they had me checked out, after I volunteered to help at the School.

That was many years ago… not sure if my character is still impeccable…:thinking::relaxed:

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For some reason Graham Greene’s ‘Travels with my aunt’ comes to my mind. :sunglasses:

:wink::upside_down_face::relaxed: … it was the Mairie who used the word “impeccable” in the first place… so I am hoping you and they are thinking along the “it’s a compliment” lines … :grin::grin::grin:

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:+1::+1::+1: The whole situation! I think that was the only humoristic book he wrote, based on your own experiences and imagination you can read a lot into it , expand it! Perfect! :innocent::innocent::innocent:

I may give it a go then… I love books…all sorts… fiction and non-fiction.

My English teacher described fiction as “the willing suspension of disbelief” and that works for me… when my imagination really does run riot.

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Bulletin no 3.
To be asked by the person, not anyone else as this is personal file.
Free of charge.

Hi Dominik and welcome to SF
You have chosen an interesting first post on a subject not active for 3 years (which the OP marked off as Solved in post #7)… do you have a special interest in this area?

Yes this is the bit of the casier judiciaire check - a police file - which shows up sexual crimes against a minor and other similar sorts of things.