May accused over child protection ‘loophole’

Under the proposals, someone who has been found grooming a child could be given an unpaid, supervised, voluntary post in a school or group without anyone being told they have been barred from working with children.

The move was condemned by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children as a “disturbing gap” that would give paedophiles “a golden opportunity of targeting innocent victims” and was described by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper as “completely irresponsible”.

“The Government’s plans still mean schools taking on a voluntary teaching assistant or voluntary organisations taking on a supervised helper won’t be told if they’ve been previously barred from working with children,” she said. “That is deeply worrying for parents and completely irresponsible.

“The idea that someone who has been found grooming a child could be given a post working with other children, and no one would know, is extremely disturbing.”

Organisations deserved to know if someone working with children had a history of grooming children, said Ms Cooper, MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford. “It’s time Theresa May gave less consideration to the rights of sex offenders and more to the protection of children.”