Changes to the Vetting and Barring Scheme and CRB application forms

In its recent document ‘The Coalition: Our programme for government’, the Government set out its aim to ‘review the criminal records and vetting and barring regime and scale it back to common sense levels’.

In order to deliver this promise and carry out the remodelling, the Vetting and Barring Scheme will be halted. The first phase of registration was due to commence on 26 July 2010. UKA would not have entered the scheme with our coaches and officials until 2012.

Clubs should be aware that although the Scheme is halted whilst the Government undertakes its review, new safeguarding regulations introduced in October 2009 continue to apply. These include:

A person who is barred from working with children orvulnerable adults will be breaking the law if they work or volunteer, or try to work or volunteer with those groups.
An organisation which knowingly employs someone who is barred to work with thosegroups will also be breaking the law.
If your organisation works with children or vulnerable adults and you dismiss a memberof staff or a volunteer because they have harmed a child or vulnerable adult, or you would have done so if they had not left, you must tell the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

In October 2009, the right to ask for an enhanced CRB disclosure was extended to all those who employ or use volunteers in types of activity called ‘Regulated Activity’. This right remains, and clubsshould continue to carry out appropriate pre-recruitment checks, including CRB checks where appropriate.

As a result of ISA registration being stopped, the CRB has had to consider the impact on its application process. The CRB has recently provided Registered Bodies with an initial stock of new (purple) application forms in readiness for the planned launch of the ISA registration phase in July, and although this phase of the VBS has now been halted, the CRB will still launch the new application form on 26 July 2010 as originally planned.

The CRB hopes that by introducing the new form as planned, it will reduce the inconvenience to our customers during this period. In order to process applications, the CRB will extract and ignore those parts of the new application form which capture ISA registration requirements, and use only those data fields which are required to process a CRB check.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority will continue to carry out its work as an independent decision making body as well as continuing to maintain the barred lists. They will also continue to accept referrals.

For any further information please contact the UKA Welfare Team on 0161 223 4246

D.Brown CBE
Welfare Officer/Lead Signature CRB