The Vetting and Barring Scheme

What is it?

The Vetting and Barring scheme is a partnership between the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA ) and criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The CRB are responsible for the application and monitoring features, whilst the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) are responsible for the decision making and the maintenance of the 2 barred lists (England/Wales & Northern Ireland).

The Background:

Tthe Bichard Inquiry was commissioned following the murders of Jessica Chapman & Holly Wells in 2002. One of the issues this Inquiry looked at was the way employers recruit people to work with children and vulnerable adults.

The Inquiry’s recommendations led to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which recognised the need for a single agency to vet all individuals who want to work or volunteer with vulnerable people. The Independent Safeguarding Authority was created to fulfil this role across England, Wales & Northern Ireland.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority will be replacing the three current systems that are there to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults.The Vetting and Barring Scheme will ultimately replace List 99, POCA & POVA.

They will assess every person who wants to work or volunteer with vulnerable people. Applicants will be assessed using data gathered by the CRB including relevant criminal convictions, cautions , police intelligence and other appropriate sources.

Only applicants who are judged not to pose a risk to vulnerable people can be registered. Once the scheme is fully functional employers who work with vulnerable people will only be allowed to recruit people to undertake Regulated Activity who are registered on the scheme.

What is Regulated Activity?

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 established certain activities in relation to children and vulnerable adults that need to be regulated.

A regulated activity is any that involves contact with children or vulnerable adults, these activities can be split into the following categories:

• Any activity of a specified nature which involves contact with children or vulnerable adults frequently, intensively and/or overnight.
• Any activity allowing contact with children or vulnerable adults that is in a specified place frequently or intensively.
• Fostering and childcare.
• Any activity that involves people in certain defined positions of responsibility.

How will this affect my school?

When the scheme is in place every person working within a regulated activity will need to be registered with the ISA.

The ISA defines the employer’s duties and responsibilities as:

• It will be a criminal offence for an employer to allow a barred person, or a person who is not yet registered with the ISA, to work for any length of time in any regulated activity.
• It will be a criminal offence for an employer to take on a person in a regulated activity if they fail to check that person’s status.

Key Dates to look out for:

• Oct 2009 Criminal Offence for barred people to seek work in a regulated activity.
• July 2010 Applications made to the ISA for new entrants to the scheme and those moving jobs. Employers can register their interest in an ISA registered individual
• Nov 2010 Mandatory for all new entrants or job movers to be ISA registered. Mandatory for employers to register their interest.
• Jan 2011 Existing workforce members will be phased into the scheme (5 year programme).

Kelly Educational Staffing can help

The introduction of the ISA’ s Vetting and Barring Scheme will provide schools with a much improved system for ensuring that all employees’ have been through the necessary checks and are legally allowed to work within
a regulated activity.

This is where Kelly Educational Staffing (KES) can help; KES will be liaising directly with the ISA to ensure that all our candidates have been through the necessary checks before they take up any roles in any school in the UK.

Our consultants have been fully trained on the requirements of the Vetting and Barring Scheme and will be checking each candidate’s registration prior to interview.

Combining these services with the already well established excellent recruitment service offered by KES means that your school can relax in the knowledge that they have received the best candidates available for their requirements.

For more information contact your local Kelly Educational Staffing branch