Cumbersome vetting scheme on hold
The vetting and barring scheme introduced by the Labour government has been halted and will be remodelled by its successor.
Under the scheme, those working and volunteering with children and vulnerable adults would have to register and be checked by the Independent Safeguarding Authority. If approved by the ISA, their details would then be placed on the child protection database. Failure to comply could have led to a £5,000 fine. Voluntary registration was due to start on 26 July 2010 and that has now been halted.
Nick Burrows and Rosie Brass from solicitors Blandy and Blandy explained that the scheme had prompted civil liberties concerns because of its size and intrusion into private lives. It was widely criticised for potentially creating a climate of mistrust and suspicion and deterring individuals from volunteering.
The scheme, according to the Home Office, will be scaled back to introduce a greater element of common sense and trust, while the protection of children and vulnerable adults will continue to be of ‘paramount importance’. It is expected that the streamlined scheme will reduce bureaucracy on volunteers and mean that individuals will not be ‘assumed to be guilty until … proven innocent.’
The remodelling process is currently being finalised by the Home Office together with the Department of Health and Department of Education and will be announced shortly. The following existing arrangements under the scheme will remain:
- The ISA will continue to be responsible for making independent decisions about barring inappropriate people, and maintaining the separate and constantly updated blacklists of people barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
- The existing requirements for Criminal Record Bureau checks.
- Employers will still be legally obliged to refer information to the ISA if they have removed or moved an individual gulity of harm, or there is a risk of harm to,a member of a vulnerable group.
Burrows and Brass told Caritas: ‘Until the revised scheme is revealed, employers, charities and voluntary groups should not continue their preparations for the current scheme but should continue with their existing vigilant vetting arrangements.’
See also ‘A closer watch’ by Shivaji Shiva in Caritas, issue 29, April 2010, page 26
Comments
There are no comments on this article. Be the first to comment.