Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Schools, Children & Families has announced that the number of people to be checked by the Vetting & Barring Scheme has been reduced.
The Scheme aims to protect children and vulnerable adults by requiring any worker in ‘frequent’ or ‘intensive’ contact with either of these vulnerable groups, some nine million people, to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), with those not on the register barred from these activities.
The announcement comes as a result of Sir Roger Singleton’s recommendations to the Government, underpinned by two principles.
The first principle is that where parents exercise their own judgment about who should care for their children that is entirely a private matter in which the scheme should not interfere. But where parents give that choice to an organisation, such as a school, club or group and cease to be able to make a personal decision about which adult provides the care or teaching etc, then registration should be required.
The second principle is that the statutory requirements laid down should go no further than is necessary for the safety and protection of children, At the same time, it is also necessary, and appropriate, to recognise that some organisations will choose to require registration in situations of exceptional vulnerability, whether or not the frequency test is met; for example, if the person will be expected to provide intimate personal care for a severely disabled child. This allows for a degree of local flexibility and recognises everyone’s responsibility for safeguarding.