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ISA prepares for October's strengthened Safeguarding role
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 http://www.isa-gov.uk)
*
Taken referrals and placed individuals on the POVA and POCA lists
and List 99.
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.
