Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) says the new Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) system should be free, to ease the burden on the voluntary sector. Changes will come into place in 2013, which will mean checks can be made online. The new system will also mean volunteers will not have to take a different background check for every volunteer role they take up. OCVA has written to local MPs about its concerns over additional administration fees for the new system and have added their support to Volunteering England’s campaign for entirely free checks for volunteers. “Additional costs like these will take away from the fantastic work the sector does in caring for the most marginalized in society and providing vital services for our communities,” said Lindsay Watts, manager of OCVA’s volunteer centre.
