Vetting and Barring Scheme: Urgent Information
From Yvonne Quirk, the Bishop’s Safeguarding Adviser
17th June, 2010
You may be aware that on Tuesday 15th June the Home Office announced that it was calling a halt to the new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) registration process. Theresa May, Secretary of State for the Home Department made a statement which included the following:
‘The Government has made clear its intention to bring the criminal records and Vetting and Barring regimes back to common sense levels. Until this remodelling has taken place, we have decided to maintain those aspects of the new Scheme which are already in place, but not to introduce further elements.
‘The terms of reference for the remodelling of the VBS and of the criminal records regime are currently being considered and a further announcement will be made in due course.’
I have now read and considered all available information issued in connection with this statement. The ISA registration of new workers has been postponed indefinitely, but not cancelled. It is important not to be panicked into throwing the baby out with the bath water. You will remember that in the Diocese of Ely, we made the decision to process all CRBs due for renewal in the next two years early, so as to avoid inevitable problems while the new scheme bedded down. This will stand us in good stead now, and we should able to escape most of the confusion this new announcement will create.
Sarah King and I will assess further information as it becomes available and will send it out once we have made sure of its authenticity and durability e.g. we will not share things the Government are considering, only things that are firmly decided. Please do not take any action solely on the basis of what is reported in the press. Check with Sarah or with me first, to avoid the kind of confusion that occurred in the initial reportage of the Scheme’s introduction last year. Our contact details are to be found at the end of this memo.
For the moment, here are the main points that need to be noted:
- People being appointed to new posts with children and/or vulnerable adults will need to apply for an enhanced CRB check, just as they would have done before. However, they will not be able to apply for ISA registration. The new CRB/ISA forms will be used from 28th June, to be processed from 28th July (just as originally planned). In between these dates, no CRBs will be processed. If this leaves you in difficulty, contact Sarah or me. When you fill in the new style form, just ignore any ISA related question (it will in any case be ignored by the CRB). The fee will be the old CRB fee of £36 (free for volunteers), not the higher joint CRB/ISA fee.
- The changes introduced in October 2009 are still in place. The new ‘barred’ lists are operating. The prohibition on seeking work if you are barred, or employing someone who is barred, still applies. Furthermore, if someone has stepped down, or been removed from a role with children or vulnerable adults, as a result of concerns about inappropriate behaviour, there will still need to be a referral to the ISA. Contact me in the first instance, and I will work with you throughout the process.
- The final VBS training session, planned for 26th June in Ely, has been cancelled. If you had booked a place, you should receive separate notification about this. The course list will be kept on file and when the Scheme is ready for re-launch, you will be given priority places on any updated training offered.
- If you have already undergone training, don’t throw the information away. We have no idea what revisions will be made, but they are likely to be in the detail (eg definitions of ‘frequency’, or of which volunteers have to register) rather than the fundamental principles.
- The Q&A documents Sarah and I have been preparing will not be sent out until the review is over, but please contact us if you are confused or in difficulty about any aspect of the changes or how it will impact on your parish. The commitment to protect children and vulnerable adults has not changed. It is vital now, especially while there is confusion and uncertainty around us, that we do not leave avoidable loopholes or lose our grip on the excellent ‘firewall’ approach that characterises the Diocese of Ely’s practice in ministering to our most vulnerable people.
Yvonne Quirk
quirky@yvonnecoppard.plus.com
tel. 01223 276957
Sarah King
sarah.king@ely.anglican.org
tel 01353 662749