Government retreat on Vetting and Barring Scheme
In recent newsletters we have been reporting on the outcry concerning the potential effects of the Government's new Vetting and Barring Scheme. While the need to protect children and vulnerable people from contact with unsuitable individuals is obvious and entirely necessary, there has been widespread concern that the new scheme would effectively cast all adults working with children as presumed to be unsuitable unless cleared in advance. Prominent children's authors including Philip Pullman and Anthony Horowitz threatened to stop visiting schools rather than subjecting themselves to the "insulting" requirement. In last month's newsletter we reported that the restrictions might even apply to the MPs responsible for the legislation. On a wider level, concerns were expressed about people who give up their time to take children to sports teams or Scout meetings being required to pay £64 for criminal record checks and further payments for each organisation they assisted with. The rules would also have applied to parents allowing foreign pupils to stay in their houses as part of school exchange programmes. The NSPCC expressed concern that the new rules, estimated as applying to one quarter of the adult population, would stop people doing things that were "perfectly safe and normal".
On 15 September Education Secretary Ed Balls announced a review of the scheme. There will be a fresh examination of the proposed scheme to ensure that the "right balance" is struck over how many people will face checks. Sir Roger Singleton, head of the new Independent Safeguarding Authority responsible for the scheme has stated:
"We need to calm down and consider carefully what this scheme is and is not about. It is not about interfering with the sensible arrangements which parents make with each other to take their children to schools and clubs."
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