Thurs, April 8 2009
A year after the Darlington-based Independent
Safeguarding Authority (ISA) began advising Government Ministers on
who should be barred from working with children and vulnerable
adults, the organisation is gearing itself up for its pivotal role
in the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS). The Scheme covers England,
Wales and Northern Ireland.
On October 12th 2009 – the ISA’s
responsibilities for barring individuals who pose a known risk from
working or volunteering with children and vulnerable adults will be
further strengthened as more sectors – such as the NHS and the
Prison Service – will come under the Scheme and new criminal
offences will come into force.
While the ISA is presently making decisions
based on the current legislation, it is also ensuring that both the
right people and systems are in place for all phases of the Scheme
- the October roll-out; July 2010 when those covered by the Scheme
can apply and the November 2010 date when those covered by the
Scheme must apply. This work entails:
- Recruiting and providing intensive training
to its caseworkers
- Working with the Criminal Records Bureau to design and agree
processes
- Migrate the three old lists into the two new ones (Childrens
and Adults)
- Ensuring the IT infrastructure is in place and effective
- Developing relationships and protocols with key partners and
stakeholders
- Participate in a major direct marketing and awareness
campaign
Sir Roger Singleton, ISA Chair, commented:
“I am delighted that the ISA is continuing to
move forward in anticipation of October. We will be ready to
deliver our new and enhanced safeguarding responsibilities and are
already making barring decisions, following the handover of
responsibilities from Ministers in January 2009.
The ability to remove or bar unsuitable and
sometimes dangerous individuals from the workplace is a vital
aspect of the Scheme. While the majority of individuals working
with children and vulnerable adults will demonstrate the highest
regard to their safeguarding, it is vital that everyone working or
volunteering in this field will soon need to register and be
monitored to highlight any potential risk. Our responsibility in
safeguarding vulnerable groups should also enable these vulnerable
groups to be taught or cared for without fear of harm.
Our decisions to bar or not to bar will not be
made lightly – every decision is potentially life-changing. That is
why the ISA has developed a Decision-Making Process, with a
balanced and transparent approach that was designed to ensure that
all known information and factors are taken into consideration
before barring decisions are made.
October will be another milestone for the ISA
and it’s one to which we are all working towards with huge
enthusiasm and commitment.”
Since its creation in January 2008, the ISA
has:
- Provided advice to Secretaries of State on
who should be barred from working with children and vulnerable
adults
- Assumed full responsibility for these decisions on January
2009
- Recruited its board and key staff – the majority of which are
caseworkers
- Developed its Decision-making process on which it will base its
barring decisions (available on www.isa-gov.uk)
- Taken referrals and placed individuals on the POVA and POCA
lists and List 99.
For further information, contact Karen Leech
on 01325 953747
Notes to Editors
- Currently the ISA is taking all decisions on
barring individuals from working with vulnerable groups, based upon
the criteria set down in the Protection of Vulnerable Adults Act
(POVA) and Protection of Children Act. However, from October
12th 2009 this will change and all barring decisions
will come under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which
created the Vetting and Barring Scheme.
- From October 12th 2009 the ISA will administer two
barring lists rather than the three lists that is currently
maintained by two different Government departments: Protection Of
Children Act (POCA), Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) and
List 99;
- There will also be the introduction of barring from ‘regulated
activities’ – people included on the new barred lists will be
barred from a much wider range of jobs and activities than before,
particularly in areas of work with vulnerable adults such as the
NHS and the Prison Service;
- There will be a new duty to share information - employers,
social services and professional regulators will have to notify the
ISA of relevant information so individuals who pose a threat to
vulnerable groups can be identified and barred from working with
these groups.
- New criminal offences will come into force as it will become a
crime for a barred individual to seek or undertake work with
vulnerable groups; and for employers to knowingly take them
on.
- From 26 July 2010 all new entrants to roles
working with vulnerable groups and those switching jobs within
these sectors will be able to register with the ISA and be checked
by them.
- The legal requirement for employees to register with the VBS
and employers to check their status will come into force in
November 2010.
- Registration will also include employers being continuously
informed of an employee’s suitability to work.
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