Charities Bulletin January 2010
The new Vetting and Barring Scheme
A centralised system for all those working with children and vulnerable adults has been launched. We look at what this means and who needs to register
The Vetting and Barring Scheme is a government initiative implemented in response to a report into the Soham murders.
The scheme marks the introduction of the first centralised system for all those working with children and vulnerable adults. The scheme is not a replacement for the Criminal Records Bureau check but supplementary to it. CRB checks will still need to be carried out and renewed to flag any previous convictions.
Anyone who carries out a "regulated activity" with children or vulnerable adults must apply to be on the register. A regulated activity covers any work with children or vulnerable adults which is not part of a family or person arrangement, whether or not the work is paid.
Who needs to register?
It will only be necessary to register with the scheme if you are working with children and vulnerable adults on a "frequent" and "intensive" basis. The definition of frequent and intensive has recently been redefined in an attempt to make the scheme less controversial. The new definitions are:
- Frequent: At least once a week
- Intensive: 4 days a month or overnight
The Scheme aims to protect children and vulnerable adults from possible harm by formulating a database of people who are working with these groups. People who wish to work with these groups will be vetted and, where it is found that there is a risk of harm by allowing the individual these to work with groups, they will be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
How to register
Applications are made via the CRB (see: www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk). In most cases, a fee of £64 will be payable by those working with children and vulnerable adults, but in an effort to ensure that the 11 million volunteers in the UK are not discouraged from volunteering, volunteers will be exempt from this charge. Failure to ensure that your volunteers are appropriately registered exposes you and your organisation to the risk of a fine of up to £5000 and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months.
All charities that carry out work targeted at children or vulnerable adults will be considered to be engaging in a regulated activity and it is an offence for a barred person to be a trustee of such a charity.
For further information on the scheme please see our Vetting and Barring Scheme information, or contact Shivaji Shiva, head of charities at Michelmores, at shivaji.shiva@michelmores.com.
