CRIMINAL CHECKS: Proposals to change checks on volunteers meet with criticism
Dan Williamson
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Under current procedures, if a voluntary organisation wishes to check the background of a new staff member, they must either register with the Criminal Records Bureau or find an umbrella registered body that has access to the bureau's service.
But under Home Office proposals to improve the bureau's much-criticised processes, registered organisations may lose their access to bureau checks if they apply for fewer than 200 checks each year.
Such a move threatens to restrict many organisations' ability to perform checks on staff, says Susanne Rauprich, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services. The council has called for local authorities to be encouraged to act as umbrella registered bodies for an area.
"There is a strong case for the Government to fund a back-up network of umbrella registered bodies," said Rauprich.
The measures, revealed by home secretary David Blunkett last week, represent the Government's attempt to speed up processing. The review team found the bureau was issuing 60 per cent more disclosures a week than they were last August.
The Department of Health will shortly be amending the Care Home Regulations 2001, which required care staff to obtain a bureau check by 31 March. This deadline is to be extended to 31 October 2004.
Bill Badham, development officer of The National Youth Agency, said: "These changes are welcome if they improve the process without diluting the level of protection required for the safety of young people."