New vetting rules to protect 'vulnerable groups'
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_181407
Published: Tuesday, 13 October 2009
The new Vetting and Barring Scheme launches today, tightening controls on who can work with children and vulnerable adults. The new scheme was created following the Soham murders and is designed to offer greater protection to children and vulnerable adults without creating too much red tape.
Protecting children and vulnerable adults
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Volunteering Stricter controls will begin to replace existing rules that decide who can’t work with children and vulnerable adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Increased safeguards that will be introduced from today include:
widening the range of posts it is a criminal offence for barred people to work in
the three current barring lists will be replaced by two new barred lists - checks of these two lists can be made as part of an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check
more jobs and voluntary positions will be covered by the barring rules, including moderators of children’s internet chat rooms
employers, social services and professional regulators must refer information like why they stopped or considered stopping someone from working with vulnerable groups
Sue Berelowitz, deputy children's commissioner for England, said: "Under this new scheme, anybody working with children, whether they are a taxi driver regularly taking a child to school on behalf of the local authority or a volunteer accompanying children on an overnight Cubs or Scouts trip, will be required to undergo vetting to ensure they are suitable to work with children.
"This new system will better protect children and meets the concerns of parents, while not being over-bureaucratic and not limiting opportunities for volunteers to work with children."
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