ISA Vetting & Barring Scheme

Details of the Independent Safeguarding Authority Vetting and Barring Scheme.

UPDATE 16/5/10

SCHEME HALTED

In its recent document ‘The Coalition: Our programme for government’, the Government set out its aim to ‘review the criminal records and vetting and barring regime and scale it back to common sense levels’.

In order to deliver this promise and carry out the remodelling, the Vetting and Barring Scheme will be halted. The first phase of registration was due to commence on 26 July 2010.

Although the Scheme is halted whilst the Government undertakes its review, new safeguarding regulations introduced in October 2009 continue to apply. These include:

A person who is barred from working with children or vulnerable adults will be breaking the law if they work or volunteer, or try to work or volunteer with those groups.

An organisation which knowingly employs someone who is barred to work with those groups will also be breaking the law.

If your organisation works with children or vulnerable adults and you dismiss a member of staff or a volunteer because they have harmed a child or vulnerable adult, or you would have done so if they had not left, you must tell the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

In October 2009, the right to ask for an enhanced CRB disclosure was extended to all those who employ or use volunteers in types of activity called ‘Regulated Activity’. This right remains, and you should continue to carry out appropriate pre-recruitment checks, including CRB checks where appropriate or required by law.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority will continue to carry out its work as an independent decision making body as well as continuing to maintain the barred lists. They will also continue to accept referrals, full guidance on which is available here.

For further information, please contact the VBS contact centre on 0300 123 1111.

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What is the scheme?

The Vetting & Barring Scheme aims to prevent unsuitable people undertaking certain paid or volunteer work with children or vulnerable adults (regulated activity). It will do this by vetting all those who wish to do such work with vulnerable groups and barring those where the information shows they pose a risk of harm and (in due course) vetting those who wish to do certain other types of work (controlled activity).

The Vetting & Barring scheme is one of the Government's key responses to the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman by Ian Huntley. The events in Soham focused public attention on the way which people who work with children are vetted.

Does the scheme affect me?

• If you work or volunteer with children or vulnerable adults in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, in either regulated activity or controlled activity, or you employ people to do so, then the scheme affects you
• Anyone wanting to work or volunteer regularly with children or vulnerable adults will be required by law to become registered with the ISA, and employers will be legally required to check that new employees are registered.

Is it instead of a CRB?

• ISA Registration does not replace the role of CRB or AccessNI disclosures. Everyone who applies to register will be vetted in a similar way to existing CRB arranagements. The ISA will only consider a case where there is relevant information which suggests that they might pose a risk of harm to vulnerable groups.

Example: ISA Registration

Mr S (38) has applied to join the Vetting & Barring Scheme, He wants to undertake work in youth clubs designed to divert teenagers away from crime. Mr S has three previous convictions for violent offences and another six for other offences. The violent offences spanned a period of four years and occurred when MR S was aged 19-23 years.

The ISA would receive this information and make a decision, noting that:

• there were no offences against children or vulnerable adults
• Mr S has been conviction free for 15 years, and
• he is seeking employment

The ISA will consider all these factors in deciding the case

Do I have to pay to register?

Registration is free for volunteers; paid workers will be charged a fee of £64.
Registration status is portable to new positions, so people will only need to register once. However, when a persons becomes registered their records will be continuously updated and their status will be reassessed against any relevant new information that becomes known about them.

For a full in-depth guidance on the scheme and including definitions of regulated and controlled activity CLICK HERE

Date Updated: 16/06/10