Before working with children and young people under the age of 18, all potential tutors, class teachers or junior youth animators must obtain disclosure from the criminal records bureau. Instructions on how to apply are below.

For each class there must be two adults immediately available who have been accepted as ‘children’s tutors’ by the NSA. This means that for a class or junior youth group there should be two teachers. You can have 2 classes running in adjascent rooms, each with one teacher.

The accepted children’s tutors cannot supervise those who have not been through the checking process. This means that no-one who has not been checked should be teaching children. 

Basic principles:

• Disclosures obtained from other organisations, eg your work, are not valid for service with Baha’i children’s classes. A disclosure from the NSA must be obtained.
• The disclosure must be renewed every 2 years.
• The disclosure is essential for working with under 18’s.
• For study circles, children’s classes and junior youth groups with under 18’s in them, two accepted children’s tutor must be present: the teacher of the group and one other individual. This is regardless of whether or not the parents of the under 18 are present.

Applying for disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)

• Contact the CRB on 0870 90 90 844: you may have someone with you to help but should make the phone call yourself if at all possible. Tell them that you would like to apply for a Disclosure.
• They will ask for the name of the organisation and its number: tell them it’s the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the UK and the organisation number is 20386500004.
• They will ask what level of Disclosure you require. If you will have substantial access to children you will need an Enhanced Disclosure: if not, a Standard Disclosure is probably sufficient. If you are not sure what level of Disclosure you need speak to the agent of the Faith to whom you are accountable and seek their advice before you make the phone call. (The Training Institute for England suggests that you get enhanced disclosure which enables you to serve as a tutor, class teacher, or animator).
• Explain that your job title is Volunteer Children’s Tutor and make absolutely sure they know that you are a volunteer (this needs to be recorded clearly in Section Y of the form you will receive from them, otherwise the National Spiritual Assembly will be charged.)
• When you receive the form read the guidance carefully before you complete it.  There have been various changes made to the form over the last two years.
• Once it is filled in arrange to meet with someone nearby who has been trained to check your documents (a list of people who have been trained is available on NEWS, from the Training Institute for England, or from the National Office). The CRB now requires the documents to be checked face to face: do NOT send the completed form directly to the National Office or to any other counter-signatory. Instead, you must arrange to meet someone on the list of trained document checkers. Take the form and the related documents to the meeting. They will guide you through the rest of the process.