Note: I have reproduced this for information (webmaster)

 

July registration halted as VBS is remodelled

 The Home Secretary, Theresa May, has today (15th June 2010) issued a statement to the House of Commons which confirms the stated intention of the coalition Government to review the Vetting & Barring and criminal records regimes to ensure that they are scaled back to common sense levels.

The Written Ministerial Statement reads:

Tuesday, 15 June 2010
HOME OFFICE
Vetting and Barring Scheme

Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May): I am announcing today that the commencement of voluntary registration with the new Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which was due to begin on 26 July, will be brought to a halt as of today.

The Government has made clear its intention to bring the criminal records and Vetting and Barring regimes back to common sense levels. Until this remodelling has taken place, we have decided to maintain those aspects of the new Scheme which are already in place, but not to introduce further elements.

The safety of children and vulnerable adults is of paramount importance to the new government. We will therefore maintain the current arrangements under which the Independent Safeguarding Authority is able to bar from "regulated activities" those considered unsuitable to work with children or vulnerable adults, and appropriate cases must be referred to them. Criminal records checks will also remain available for those eligible to receive them, and will continue to be required for certain posts where regulations are already in place.

However it is vital that we take a measured approach in these matters. Vulnerable groups must be properly protected in a way that is proportionate and sensible. The remodelling of the VBS will ensure this happens.

The terms of reference for the remodelling of the VBS and of the criminal records regime are currently being considered and a further announcement will be made in due course.

 

Independent Safeguarding Authority
Vetting and Barring Scheme Guidence

The following information has been sent out recently and is reproduced here for your information (webmaster).

Dear colleague,

The communications team at the Vetting and Barring Scheme are pleased to announce that full guidance about the Scheme is available for free download now. (pdf opens in a new window)

This document contains details on:

• The scope of the Scheme;
• Barring arrangements;
• Responsibilities and duties for both employers and volunteer organisers, and the duties for those individuals you take on;
• Timescales for the phased implementation of the Scheme;
• Explanation of transitional arrangements around Scheme introduction.

In response to the overwhelming interest in the subject, the guidance makes special mention of those areas where the Scheme does not apply and discusses the points raised by Sir Roger Singleton when he reported into the boundaries of the Scheme in December 2009.

This full guidance release will be followed by a suite of 'sector specific' guidance documents, which will show how the Scheme will be applied in different areas of work and volunteering activities and will be published by our partners from the appropriate government departments.

We will make printed copies of this full guidance document available on request from our contact centre on 0300 123 1111. We expect these to be available from 5 April 2010.