Sponsored by
Row over criminal vetting of volunteer parents
PARENTS who frequently ferry groups of children on behalf of sports clubs or charities will have to undergo criminal record checks or face fines of up to £5,000 in a Government scheme aimed at stopping paedophiles.
The scheme, which MPs fear could be a "disaster", will leave the UK with the largest such vetting system in the world.
Volunteers who fail to register under the Vetting and Barring Scheme could be prosecuted and given a court fine, burdening them with a criminal record.
The clubs and charities themselves also face a 5,000 fine if they use volunteers who have not been cleared by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), the Home Office agency overseeing the scheme.
Other people who will have to be vetted include parents who host foreign pupils on exchange trips and all the 300,000 school governors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Every doctor, nurse, teacher, dentist and prison officer will also have to register because they come into contact with children or vulnerable adults.
The scheme will be the biggest of its kind in the world, with the ISA delving into the personal and employment histories of 11.3 million people in total.
It was recommended by the Bichard report into the Soham murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman by school caretaker Ian Huntley, who was given the job despite allegations of sex with underage girls in his past.
Police, professional bodies and employers will pass information to the ISA's 200 Darlington-based case workers, who will then decide on who is barred.
Even those, like Huntley, without a criminal record could be barred if officials are concerned by other "soft intelligence".
Once up and running next month, it is thought 40,000 people will face a ban. Registration will cost 64 in England and Wales, but unpaid volunteers will not have to pay.
A Home Office spokesman said: "The Vetting and Barring Scheme does not cover personal or family relationships, so parents making informal arrangements to give lifts to children will not have to be vetted.
"However, anyone working or volunteering on behalf of a third party organisation – for example, a sports club or a charity – who has frequent or intensive access to children or vulnerable adults will have to be registered with the scheme. For volunteers, registration is free."
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said it was a "disproportionate response".
"Children's safety is paramount but we are in danger of creating a world in which we think every adult who approaches children means to do them harm," he said. "Should parents who give other people's children a lift to sports matches really face a 5,000 fine and criminal record if they fail to register?"
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling warned the scheme could be a "disaster" for groups who rely on volunteers.
"We all understand the need for proper protection of our children but this new regime has the potential to be a real disaster for activities involving young people in the UK," he said.
But Barnardo's chief executive Martin Narey, former director general of the Prison Service, said: "If the vetting and barring scheme stops just one child ending up a victim of a paedophile then it will be worth it."
The Office of the Information Commissioner said there were "inevitable" security risks of collecting personal data.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -9 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
