Vetting and barring scheme faces more delays
Ross Watson
Friday, March 20, 2009
The government has further delayed its vetting and barring scheme for staff working with children and vulnerable adults.
The scheme is intended to keep a check on people who work with vulnerable groups and bar anyone who may pose a threat to those groups. Those who do pose a threat will go on the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) list to ensure they do not get similar work elsewhere.
It has already been pushed back from October 2008 to October 2009. Now the Home Office says the scheme will not go live until next year.
A number of safeguards will come in to play in October this year, such as better information sharing among employers and a wider range of job roles covered by the ISA list. But new entrants to roles will not be able to register with the scheme and get checked until July 2010, while it will not be a legal requirement to register until November 2010.
A spokesman for the Home Office said the delays were necessary to ensure maximum safety. "This scheme is built on existing strong safeguards and significantly more will start on 12 October but it is vital the scheme's final elements are properly designed, piloted and tested before they are introduced," he said.
A spokesman for the NSPCC said the charity supported the Home Office's approach.
