Child Protection

Volunteer Africa is committed to ensuring that all children involved in our projects are kept safe from all forms of harm and ill-treatment.

VolunteerAfrica has a formal Child Protection Policy and you can find out more about it here .

Police Checks

All volunteers participating in one of our programmes are required to submit a police check.

Volunteers working directly with children are required to submit, to VolunteerAfrica, a full police check report which includes offences against children. In the UK this is known as the Criminal Records Bureau CRB Enhanced Disclosure check. This is the same check as schoolteachers, scoutleaders etc receive.

Volunteers going to Singida need to submit only a standard police check.

The table below lists the methods of obtaining checks in different countries.This information is a guide only. VolunteerAfrica cannot be held responsible for any changes or errors

If you have any questions about this please contact Moya.

Country	Approved Documentation	Method	Cost	Aprox. Timescale
Australia	Criminal History Character Check (via Australian Federal Police)	Applications need to be made on the appropriate form available from the AFP website: www.afp.gov.au	AU$36 (2006)	10 working days
Canada	Singida Programme:Consent for Disclosure of Criminal Record Information Tabora Programme: Criminal record check including a Vulnerable Sector Search (via Royal Canadian Mounted Police)	Contact your local RCMP for the Consent for Disclosure of Criminal Record Information form. Applications must be made via your local police service (and not a privately operating fingerprinting firm). Certified Criminal Records Checks require fingerprints to be taken. www.rcmp.ca/crimrec/finger_e.htm		In excess of 150 days
Ireland	Singida Programme:Subject Access Request (via An Garda Siochana) Tabora Programme:	Applications for access to information held about you on the computers of An Garda Siochana may be made under the Data Protection Act 1988. Applications must be made in writing to: Inspector in Charge, Garda Central Vetting Unit, Racecourse Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Telephone 00353-50427300 or Fax 00353-50427373.	Euro6.35 (2006)
New Zealand	Police Vetting (via New Zealand Police)	Applications must be made via Volunteer Africa. Volunteer Africa does not require you to forgo your rights under the Clean Slate Act.
United Kingdom	Singida Programme: Person Record: Prosecution/Conviction Tabora Programme: Enhanced Disclosure (via the Criminal Records Bureau)	Subject Access Person Record: Prosecution/Conviction from National Identification Service. This police check is obtained by contacting your area police HQ, filling out a form and returning to the area police with a small fee. Takes 6 weeks to receive back from NIS. Volunteers should first contact their local Volunteer Bureau and ask to have an Enhanced CRB Disclosure processed. If contact details are passed to VA a letter of introduction will be sent to explain the purpose and nature of the project. If your local Volunteer Bureau cannot help you with this contact Paul Carr at Personnel Disclosures (UK) Ltd (they are a CRB Umbrella Organisation) on info@personneldisclosures.com or ring him on 01332 208383 to obtain an application form. You will need to send in proof of identity by sending them BY RECORDED DELIVERY POST your original driving licence, passport plus proof of current address (recent utility bill etc.). Do not send photocopies. Enclose a cheque payable to Personnel Disclosures Ltd for £14.51 (£8.63 for the check and £5.88 to cover the costs of recorded delivery return of your original documents).	Varies(2006)
United States	Singida Programme: Arrest Records Information Tabora Programme: FBI Identification Record, often referred to as a Criminal History Record or Rap Sheet	Contact your country sherrif/police for this form. You are expected to provide proof of identity, which consists of a set of your fingerprints (original card, no copies), with your name, date of birth and place of birth. Fingerprints should be placed on a standard fingerprint form (FD-258) commonly used for applicant or law enforcement purposes. Full details are available on the FBI Web-site Criminal Records page . You will be expected to provide VolunteerAfrica with either the original fingerprint card stamped with the stamp 'No Record.' or a copy of your FBI Identification Record, if one exists.	US$18 (2007)	8 - 10 weeks from receipt of application by the FBI