Official guidance on vetting and barring scheme

22nd October 2009

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has released official guidance on the new vetting and barring scheme, which was launched last month to protect young and vulnerable people.

The scheme will have a major impact on the recruitment and monitoring practices of people working or volunteering with children.

The official guidance includes information for both employees and employers, including:

For employers:

You must not knowingly employ in regulated activity, or use as a volunteer, a barred person.
If you dismiss or cease using a person in regulated activity (or in controlled activity) because you think they harmed or pose a risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults, you must refer the case to the ISA (see ISA referrals guidance, below);

For employees:

If you are barred from regulated activity, you must not work or seek to work in regulated activity from which you are barred.

Guidance documents about the new duty (which is in place from from 12 October) for employers and others on how to make referrals to the ISA, and about the ISA Decision Making Process, are available on the ISA website.

Information on the new duty to make referrals is available on the site, alongside information on the ISA decision making process.

Three key changes whihc are forthcoming:

July 2010 - new entrants to work with vulnerable groups can register with the ISA;
November 2010 - new entrants must register with the ISA before starting work;
April 2011 - existing workers can start to ISA-register. We will publish, in good time, our recommendations as to dates by when they should register.

More information about the forthcoming changes can be downloaded here.