Up to nine million fewer volunteers and workers will no longer need to register.
Measures in the Freedoms Bill being unveiled today include:
- A merger of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to create a new body
- A large reduction in the number of jobs working with children and vulnerable adults that require CRB checks, to only those which involve close and regular contact
- The ability to carry over a CRB check from one job to another, aimed at cutting down on bureaucracy
- An end to the requirement for those working and volunteering with children and vulnerable adults to register with the VBS and then be monitored by the ISA
- Job applicants allowed to see their CRB check before prospective employers, so any mistakes can be corrected
- Penalties for employers who knowingly request CRB checks on individuals who do not need them.
The Government said that the new ‘streamlined body’ to replace the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority will provide ‘a proportionate barring and criminal records checking service’.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that the changes marked ‘a return to commonsense government’ and end ‘the unnecessary scrutiny of law-abiding individuals’.
He added, ‘We inherited a messy criminal records regime that developed piecemeal and defied common sense. Our reviews concluded that the systems were not proportionate and needed to be less bureaucratic. They will now be scaled back to sensible levels while at the same time protecting vulnerable people.’
Children’s minister Tim Loughton said, ‘Protecting children and keeping them safe remains our top priority, but it’s also important that well meaning adults are not put off working or volunteering with children.
‘The new system will be less bureaucratic and less intimidating. It will empower organisations to ask the right questions and make all the appropriate pre-employment checks, and encourage everyone to be vigilant.
‘This is a commonsense and proportionate approach which will ensure that children are properly protected, without driving a wedge between them and adults.’
The Vetting and Barring Scheme, set up in 2009 after an inquiry into the Soham murders, was suspended by Home Secretary Theresa May in June last year.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said that while he welcomed the changes, child protection must remain paramount in all early years settings.
He said, ‘In all of our settings we demand that any volunteer working with young children on a day-to-day basis and with access to children’s documentation must have an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check.
‘As an organisation we are mindful that CRB checks are just a "snap-shot" at a given point in time and do not act as a guarantee against an individual’s subsequent behaviour.’
He said the proposal to make CRB checks portable between jobs would not change the Alliance’s policy that all new employees working directly with children undertake a new check.
‘Every three years the Alliance also renews the Enhanced CRB checks of all our staff who work with children, regardless of whether their previous Enhanced check was clear.
‘We constantly remind all early years settings not to be complacent about child protection. It is their duty to remain vigilant and ensure that they have robust whistle-blowing procedures in place to protect children from risk.
‘All staff must know what to do and that they will be supported should they report any concerns about the behaviour of another member of staff.’
'The right balance'
Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the NSPCC, said the Government 's proportionate approach to vetting and barring retained key protection for children and young people and strikes the right balance.
‘It’s absolutely essential to ensure everyone has a clear understanding of how these new arrangements will operate.
‘Eliminating employees and volunteers having to undergo repeated Criminal Records Bureau checks every time they apply for a new job is right. But, all employers should regularly check these certificates on line for any new information.
‘The new arrangements should form part of good employment practices and for them to work effectively organisations must also have robust monitoring policies in place. The Vanessa George case in Plymouth illustrates that vetting is only one part of good practice. She had a clear CRB check.
‘Many people - in both paid and unpaid situations - pose a risk to children but do not have convictions so it's important non conviction data continues to be part of disclosure certificates.’
