Youth Theatre News

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 www.isa-gov.uk)
Taken referrals and placed individuals on the POVA and POCA lists and List 99.

For further information, contact Karen Leech on 01325 953747 or click here to visit the ISA website