What is the Vetting and Barring scheme?
- The enquiry that followed the Soham murders recommended that all those working with vulnerable groups should be registered. This led to the Safeguarding Vulnerable adults Group Act 2006.
- The vetting and barring scheme is a partnership of the Criminal Record Bureau, The Independent Safeguarding Authority and Access NI.
- The CRB are responsible for the application and monitoring elements of the scheme.
- The ISA are responsible for the decision making and maintenance of two barred lists for England and Wales and Northern Ireland covering the children’s and vulnerable adults’ sectors.
- The Barred Lists will replace the Protection of Children Act (PoCA) List, List 99 and the protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) List in England and Wales, and the Disqualification from Working with Vulnerable Adults (DWVA) List in Northern Ireland as well as the current system of Disqualification Orders, which is operated by the Criminal Justice System.
- The vetting and barring scheme is a recruitment tool to prevent anyone who is a known risk from working with vulnerable groups.
- The vetting and barring scheme is the most inclusive and largest system of its kind in the world.
- Barring decisions will be taken by Independent Experts.
- Anyone who wants to work in regulated activity with vulnerable groups will be required to register with the ISA
- It will be and offence for any person to commence Regulated Activity without first being ISA registered.
Employers and the Vetting and Barring Scheme
- It will be an offence for an employer to hire a person in regulated activity without first confirming their ISA registration.
- Employers, personnel suppliers and other statutory, business and public organisations have a legal duty to refer appropriate information to the ISA.
- Anyone with a legitimate interest will be able to check a person’s registration status online.
- Those with a legitimate interest and have registered this interest will be informed if an employee becomes de-registered from the scheme.
- Parents will be able to check the individuals they employ in a private capacity as tutors, nannies carers etc are registered with the ISA using the same online check as an employer. (However there is no duty on parents to do this; they will not face any legal penalties for failing to check.
The above information on the Vetting and Barring Scheme has been obtained from the Criminal Records Bureau.
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