New guidance issued on using vetting and barring scheme

The guidance explains what actions employees and employers will have to take as part of the programme. New entrants to job roles will be expected to register from July, but existing staff will not be required to join until April 2011.

The guidance also clarifies who is required to register with the scheme by law.

Anyone who has contact with children once a week or more through paid or voluntary work must sign up.

But people don't have to register if they're taking part in informal or private childcare or tutoring arrangements.

The Home Office minister responsible for vetting and barring, Meg Hillier, said the new scheme would lead to better information sharing and clear decisions on who is unsuitable to work with vulnerable groups.

"Over the past year we've delivered face-to-face briefings to more than 40,000 employers, charities and voluntary groups up and down the country, and the feedback from them has been overwhelmingly supportive," she said.

"I'm confident that this guidance will quickly become an invaluable tool for all organisations working with vulnerable groups over the coming months and years as the scheme is rolled out."

The scheme, which is being run by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), has been dogged by controversy.

In December last year, the government made changes to the scheme after a review by Roger Singleton.

His report found that the programme was proposing to vet too many people, such as authors who visit schools to speak to groups of children.

The scheme has also been subject to several delays. It was intially supposed to launch in October 2008. That date was pushed back to October 2009, and then to July 2010.