The Vetting

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The Vetting Barring Scheme
Alan Wheeler Communications Manager Vetting
Safeguarding Policy Unit Home Office
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(No Transcript)
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What is the scheme?

• New, improved checking and monitoring scheme
  aiming to prevent unsuitable people from working
  or volunteering with children and/or vulnerable
  adults.
• The ISA is a new Non Departmental Public Body
  (NDPB) which will decide who is barred from
  working with these groups.
• Sponsored by the Home Office and supported by
  DCSF and DH.

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Already front page news
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Shock headlines, misleading stories

• Girl guides 'red tape deterring adult
  volunteers' Daily Telegraph 18 June
• A spokesman for Girlguiding UK said ."There are
  many reasons why there is a lack of volunteer
  Leaders but to our knowledge the need for CRB
  checks is not one of them.
• Child protection rules could see youngsters
  banned from sport and hobby clubs Daily
  Telegraph 20 June

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But there are some silver linings

• We should applaud the establishment of the new
  Independent Safeguarding Authority whose work, I
  believe, will restore parental confidence in the
  people in such positions.
• Martin Narey, chief executive of Barnardos
• New Statesman - 26 June

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The Bichard Report - Recommendation 19

• New arrangements should be introduced requiring
  those who wish to work with children, or
  vulnerable adults, to be registered. The register
  would confirm that there is no known reason why
  an individual should not work with these client
  groups.

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Highlights

• Core purpose to prevent unsuitable people from
  working with children and vulnerable adults
• The ISA will play a major part in reforming
  current vetting practices by barring individuals
  who pose an obvious risk to vulnerable groups.
• but employers retain their responsibilities for
  ensuring safe recruitment and employment
  practices.

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Words of Warning

• The ISA will not absolve employers of their
  responsibility for safe recruitment
• The ISA will provide an extra safeguard not a
  complete solution
• We all have a continuing responsibility to ensure
  that safeguarding works

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Scheme overview

• Once the new scheme has been fully rolled out, it
  will be illegal for employing organisations to
  engage anyone in regulated activity without
  checking their registration status first.
• Employers will be notified if an individual is
  de-registered from the scheme.
• Information-sharing framework is enshrined in law
  and at the heart of the scheme.

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Key scheme features

• Register of people
• No known reason they should not work with
  children or vulnerable adults
• Two lists
• Where there are reasons they should not work
  with children or vulnerable adults
• Independent decision making
• Continuous updating of status

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Who will the scheme extend to?

• Paid workers
• Volunteers
• Current workforce
• Including workers from overseas

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What is regulated activity?

• Involves contact with children or vulnerable
  adults and is
• of a specified nature (e.g. teaching, training,
  care, supervision, advice, treatment or
  transport) on a frequent, intensive and/or
  overnight basis.
• in a specified place (e.g. schools, care homes,
  etc), frequently or intensively.
• fostering and childcare or
• a defined office holder (includes LA Director
  of Childrens Services trustees of certain
  charities school governors).
• No distinction made between paid and voluntary
  work.

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What is controlled activity?

• Tightly defined and covering far fewer
  individuals than regulated activity.
• It will be mandatory to check individuals in
  controlled activity but a barred person can
  sometimes be employed in controlled activity,
  providing tough safeguards have been put in place
• Ancillary support work in general health, NHS,
  adult social care and FE settings (e.g. cleaner,
  caretaker, shop worker, catering staff, car park
  attendant, receptionist).
• Those working for specified organisations (e.g. a
  Local Authority) with frequent access to
  sensitive records about children and vulnerable
  adults.

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Who will benefit from these safeguards?

• Vulnerable adults
• (1) A person is a vulnerable adult if he has
  attained the age of 18 and
• (e) he is detained in lawful custody,
• (f) he is by virtue of an order of a court under
  supervision by a person exercising functions for
  the purposes of Part 1 of the Criminal Justice
  and Court Services Act 2000 (c. 43)
• Children
• Any person aged under 18

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Employer duties - referrals

• Employers, professional and regulatory bodies,
  and child/adult protection teams in Local
  Authorities must refer information to the ISA in
  certain circumstances.
• In other circumstances, employers may refer
  information regarding an individuals conduct to
  the ISA.
• Parents/private employers should go to a
  statutory agency who can investigate and refer if
  appropriate (e.g. social services or the police).
• The Independent Safeguarding Authority will
  inform professional/regulatory bodies if it bars
  someone, so that their professional registration
  can also be reviewed.

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When does it start?

• The scheme goes live on 12 October 2009.
• New entrants to the workforce those moving jobs
  will be the first to go through the scheme.
• Members of the existing workforce will be phased
  into the scheme over a five year period.

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What will it cost?

• Individuals in paid employment will pay 64 when
  applying for registration with the scheme.
• There is no discount on this one-off application
  fee but in most cases a CRB Enhanced Disclosure
  will be included in the initial registration
  process.
• Those involved only in unpaid voluntary activity
  will pay no application fee.

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Will this replace the CRB?

• No the new scheme is a mandatory addition to
  current safeguarding systems, not a replacement.
• Statutory requirements for CRB checks in certain
  sectors will remain.
• The ISA will filter out those who pose an obvious
  risk.
• ISA registration does not guarantee that an
  individual has a clean criminal record but that
  it has been checked by the ISA, which does not
  consider it to mean the individual should be
  barred.

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How it will work?

• Barring Routes
• Auto Bar without representation
• Auto Bar with representation
• Bar based on case assessment Barring criteria and
  risk assessment frameworks will be published.

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How it will work Operations

• The Criminal Records Bureau will
• Receive applications to the scheme.
• Gather and monitor information for the
  Independent Safeguarding Authority.
• Administer automatic inclusions on the list and
  cases where there is no information.
• Provide the facility for online checks and
  continuous updates.

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What do I have to do next?

• Keep in touch our website (www.isa-gov.org)
  will be frequently updated with advice
  guidance.
• Evaluate the impact think about likely
  budgetary requirements, staff training needs
  process updates.
• Play your part - continue with best practice
  recruitment and employment procedures.

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For further information please
visitwww.isa-gov.orgor call 0300 123 1111
Thank You