Criminal record checks: DfES confirms central barring unit and continuous disclosure

A central barring unit will make a decision about whether someone issuitable to work with children, although it has not been decided wherethis will be based. There will be continuous disclosure, meaningCriminal Record Bureau checks will no longer be just a one-offindication of whether someone is suitable to work with children.

"Any future information coming in could then be considered again by thebarring unit," said Althea Efunshile, director of the Department forEducation and Skills' safeguarding children group, at Children Now'schild protection conference last month.

But she admitted that letting employers know there was new informationwas a "tricky" issue. "We're still trying to work out what thenotification arrangements will be," she said. "It will be theresponsibility of the central unit to inform the employer that a personis barred, we don't expect employers to continuously check the list."However, employers will be able to check the list if they want becausethere will be "simple online access".