Youth groups call for stringent checks after sex offender found

By Sarah Cooper Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Youth associations have called for more stringent safeguarding checks on all adults working with young people after a convicted sex offender was found to be a manager of an activity centre in Gloucestershire.

CRB form. Credit: Phil Adams

Victor Steynor was convicted of indecent assault, made the subject of a three-year community rehabilitation order and put on the sex offenders register, yet he continues to run Dyke House adventure centre in Ledbury, which offers services to young people.

Gloucestershire local safeguarding children board has acknowledged Steynor poses a "potential risk to children".

Jo Grills, chair of the safeguarding board, said: "We will make sure that any organisations we know are using Dyke House know about this conviction and they then have to make the decision whether to use the facility. We are assured that Steynor doesn't have any direct contact with the children."

David Nottidge, head of residential centres for youth club network London Youth, said organisations have to go further than standard Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks to ensure people are safe to work with children. He said: "You can't just rely on CRB checks. You need to take out references for new staff, carry out written and verbal references and look at their work record."

If London Youth planned to visit a centre and found it had links with a sex offender they would reconsider going there, Nottidge said.

Chris Foster, media officer for the Scout Association, agreed CRB checks were vital to ensure child safety and the association has a rigorous checking procedure.

He said: "We would like to see that people likely to have unsupervised access to young people have gone through CRB checks."

A spokesman for the National Union of Teachers said CRB checks should be in place and schools should seek the advice of the local authority if they plan to go to a centre which is not part of the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 1996.