Althea Efunshile, director of the Safeguarding Children Group in the Department for Education and Skills, told a conference last week that the proposed system, which is still "work in progress", would be "more than just a register".
As well as nannies and other people employed directly by parents, such as those contracted through the direct payments scheme for social services, people who have contact with children over the telephone and internet could also be subject to vetting, she said.
Improvements to police and Criminal Records Bureau databases would allow the register to be continuously updated.
This would also allow decisions on whether or not to bar people from working with children to be reviewed when new information was added, she said. Suitability judgments would be made before employment and a central team of experts would make decisions about whether to bar someone.
The right of appeal would also be incorporated before a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure is made. But it would be up to employers to decide if those who were not barred were still suitable for jobs.
Her comments came two weeks after the Government published its response to Sir Michael Bichard's report into the Soham murders (Children Now, 19-25 January).
He had recommended the establishment of a register of all people who work with children and vulnerable adults, but the Government said this would be "costly and impractical".
Its alternative system will cost 10m to set up and between 8m and 10m a year to run in England and Wales.
The new register will require primary legislation. Efunshile hoped a Bill would be ready by the end of this year and the register could be up and running by early 2007.
