Hiya

years ago I lost my temper with a taxi driver after having a horrendous time with another one that lead to an attempted rape, I just lost it and freaked out

upshot is that I got a caution for racially aggravated common assault

It had nothing to do with race, but I had no proof that it didnt and despite me telling the police about the other attack and asking them to look it up on their system as I had been found at the side of the road covered in cuts and bruises having had to jump out of a moving car as I feared for me life I was told not to worry by the police officer and that it was just a wrist slap.

of course that was not the case, it has something that has affected my working life ever since and now I am a single parent I am looking into to train as a teaching assistant and need to get a dsb done. I dont want to be branded a racist nor do I want to disclose if its going to be filtered. 

I know if it had been purely common assault it would have been filtered but due to the racial aspect I am not sure it will be.

I have written to ACRO to see what is held on me and just waiting for that now

thanks

Hi pumpkin

The DBS use the Act that somebody has been cautioned under to determine whether it is eligible for filtering.  If you were cautioned for racially aggravated assault under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, section 29 then this would not be eligible for filtering and would still appear on your DBS certificate.

If you're not sure of the details, you might want to apply to ACRO for a Subject Access Request which will provide you with this information.  

Hope this helps but feel free to contact the Unlock helpline if you want to have a chat with somebody about it.

Best wishes

Debs

Need Unlocks advice? Visit our self-help information site or contact our helpline

thanks Derbs, sadly your correct and this one mistake is going to haunt me for life  It seems that because it was listed as a race crime it will always be there. I dont know where to go from here now as I feel I was given the wrong info by the police officer who took my statment and told me it was just a slap on the wrist and not to worry. 

Hi pumpkin 

Even if your conviction is not eligible for filtering it doesn't mean that you won't be able to train as a teaching assistant. Of course you'll have to disclose it to any college/university or employer and the key will be explaining it in such a way that you can demonstrate that you're no risk to the children at the school or your colleagues.

I understand that in the circumstances, disclosure will be difficult and is likely to take you back to a pretty awful time in your life. If it helps, jot some notes down that you can use as a prompt or write a self-disclosure letter that you can hand over. Always  make it clear that you'd be happy to answer any questions that a college/employer may have.

Don't be put off from following your dream job just because something is going to show on your DBS certificate. Schools can be quite risk adverse but we hear from many people who are working very successfully in the teaching field. It might be worth having a read of this article which we've recently published in our online magazine. 

Hope this helps. Stay positive and good luck.

Debs 

Need Unlocks advice? Visit our self-help information site or contact our helpline