Vetting system review

The head of the independent safeguarding authority is to clarify proposals announced last week for a vetting system for those working with children.

Speaking on the BBC Today programme, Sir Roger Singleton said that the system is necessary for the protection of children but agreed that some of the concerns raised over the system were valid.

“It’s quite reasonable for any parent to expect that if their school offers to provide transport… those people have been vetted to the point where there is no known reason why they should not work with children,” he said.

Sir Roger said he was surprised that some of the “legitimate concerns” raised over the scheme had not been voiced previously. Proposals for the scheme had first been set out three years ago in legislation. The introduction of the vetting system follows the recommendations set out in the Bichard inquiry following the Soham murders in 2002.

The NSPCC expressed support for the government’s plans, saying that the current criminal records checks were insufficient as they only revealed those people that had offended previously. The charity did however call on the government to clarify its approach.

“This new scheme must be introduced carefully, in a way that does not inadvertently penalise children, weaken community relationships, or provide parents with a false sense of security. The government must now provide clearer and more detailed information about the scheme and how it will work in practice,” the charity said.