virgin Train call centre

[Barry]

Baz, we also don't have a contract of employment

I find that such an odd place to be, If you don't have a contract how do they know what you do, if you've don it, what your goals are, when you have reach them, expectations etc etc.

Also how do they know if your doing your job?

[Elwyn]

I made a contract with God and with the Army. I have regular supervision meetings with my line manager and yearly appraisals where goals are set. In a Church situation I would be accountable to my Divisional Commander (SA 'Bishop') and my congregation. It is very much a position of trust and has always worked well for me. Ultimately I am responsible and accountable to God.

[ianhutch]

I made a contract with God and with the Army. I have regular supervision meetings with my line manager and yearly appraisals where goals are set. In a Church situation I would be accountable to my Divisional Commander (SA 'Bishop') and my congregation. It is very much a position of trust and has always worked well for me. Ultimately I am responsible and accountable to God.

Elwyn, I think you said it all! I have a passionate loathing of 'Job Descriptions', 'Targets', & the like. As far as I can see they are strait jackets which restrict those who would go the extra mile, a 'cover job' for those who are merely going through the motions & a cop-out for a hierarchy which is only concerned with covering their own backs. I'm sure God wants His people to be led by the Holy Spirit & not conforming to some 'business plan' or the like. Jesus just gave us a simple commission to preach the Gospel etc. & Paul reinforced it by his words & actions 'that by all means I may save some.'
I was told many times in the Police 'That's not your/our job.' when a vulnerable person needed help. 'So what?' was the approach I believed was what Jesus would have taken & the approach I took. That's what the Church is for; bring hope into despair, bring light into darkness & bring love into fear.
I thank God for people like William Booth who gave the world a real taste of the Gospel in action.

[Barry]

Ian, if you ever go pro with your magic trust me you will soon be providing people with contracts.

[Terry Lawton]

Yeah, I totally agree with you Ian, for years I taught Professional studies in education, what a mouthful, but all great stuff, with Aims and Objectives, loved the courses, the guys and girls loved them too, Transactional Analysis,'I'm OK, You're OK Team Building - even got an Hons degree in it - could have made a bundle had I marketed it right.

However in the real world it's the plumbers, electricians, gardeners and builders, who are of more value.

Along a similar line don't you just hate this CRB thing? after years of being in the police I feel insulted that I 've felt the need to 'get registered'.  I feel saddened for the ex cons, now saved who may now want to work with vulnerable people who are precluded.  In our church plant many of our workers are 'ruffty tuffties' who would never get a CRB

It seems God forgives but even the church has to justify who they use...how very, very sad.
 

[Peter Cooper]

Unfortunately churches are often targetted by predators who know all the right phrases to say to convince trusting Christians they are fine. The CRB system is a long way off perfect (a lo-o-o-o-o-ong way), but it's important.

[ianhutch]

Unfortunately churches are often targetted by predators who know all the right phrases to say to convince trusting Christians they are fine. The CRB system is a long way off perfect (a lo-o-o-o-o-ong way), but it's important.

I'm afraid I'm with Terry on the CRB issue. I doubt if it's stopped a single paedophile but as a Boys' Brigade officer for many years & as a copper for 27 years I know that the 'inner warning' that I & others have known has been far more reliable. That's quite apart from the Holy Spirit's gift of discernment. If you think of the tragic cases we see in the press, CRBs didn't prevent any of them. It's yet another paper exercise to cover people's backs. Also, as Terry says in another way, we are new creations in Jesus & we should expect people to be set free from their pasts. HOWEVER, we must protect the vulnerable as much as possible; I just don't think CRBs are much, if any, value.

Baz, I've got a suspicion you may be right on the contract issue, &, sadly, I think it's more likely to be needed with Christian groups! On the other hand, I've been running my own training business for 16 years & have never found a need to issue contracts to either customers or trainers/assessors. I've only had 2 unpaid invoices in that time—both due to bankruptcy—& one trainer whose standards were below what I expected. Again, I rely on people to honour verbal agreements & word very soon gets round about those who are unethical in their dealings. It may sound strange coming from an ex-copper, but I'd rather be cheated occasionally than mistrust everyone.

[Barry]

I'm afraid I'm with Terry on the CRB issue. I doubt if it's stopped a single paedophile ...........

I can personally vouch that it HAS. I work as part of a multi agency team to safeguard the public form such abusers. Just because you don't see the action don't assume nothing happens. CRB checks have vastly reduced abuse. Sadly the "church" has and does harbour the biggest number of abusers.

If you have every heard testomy form an abused child then trust me you would be fully behind the CRB checks. If all the CRB checks in the world stooped just 1 child being abused then its worth it!

CRB's are not about hunting of finding predictors its about protection the public once we know about them.

[Macbeth]

I think that CRB's are a good way of preventing people applying to certain posts so are better than not having them.

[Barry]

after years of being in the police I feel insulted that I 've felt the need to 'get registered'.  I feel saddened for the ex cons, now saved who may now want to work with vulnerable people who are precluded.  In our church plant many of our workers are 'ruffty tuffties' who would never get a CRB

Terry you don’t “get registered” unless you have offended. 

The CRB check is a check, the clue is in the title. Plus it doesn’t mean that if you pinched a chicken from Tesco’s when you were 16 you can’t work with children, likewise it doesn’t mean that if you have a criminal record you can’t work with children.

What the check is about is “disclosure” and that your employer knows of your offences and then they will decide if you can work in a particular job.

[Terry Lawton]

Baz , 'get registered' is just my term for being checked out.  they send a 'disclosure notice' to the subject and another to a registered body,( employee )  in my case  the United Benefice of Iford and Holdenhurst...oh by the way..I'm clean...but my wife knows the real me...I still need Jesus. She often says when she's miffed with me' I'm gonna tell Jesus about you!'

[Peter Cooper]

CRB checks support a Biblical principle - the eleventh commandment - Thou shalt not get caught!

The whole child protection issue includes the CRB check, of course, but it is also about being aware, safety concious, watching out for each other and 'sharing best practice'. A CRB check alone isn't much, but is part of a package which enables us to serve God better in our work with children.

[Barry]

The CRB system has never been the best but for now it servers a purpose.
The government have changed the proses and handed the responsibility over to the ISA.  within a few years people that normally need a CRB for church will need to be registered with the ISA.

The ISA will still do a CRB but it also has assess to "registers" that hols offenders names, so far more robust.

I understand the issues people have with the CRB checking system,  but they are there for the protection of the vulnerable and we must work whit in them.

[Peter Cooper]

While we're on the subject of call centres, , my computer has gone wrong again, and the call centre said they would arrange to pick it up. When the man arrived (less than an hour ago), he said he couldn't take it because he didn't know what was wrong with it!!!!