NASUWT Representatives

www.nasuwt.org.uk57Disclosure information must comply with this. Information mustbe handled and stored accordingly.VETTING AND BARRINGThe ISA formerly had responsibility for taking barring decisionsto prevent unsuitable people from working or volunteering withchildren (those under 18) and/or vulnerable adults.From 1 December 2012, the ISA merged with the CRB to forma new non-departmental public body called the Disclosure andBarring Service. The ISA has ceased to exist and the DBS nowundertakes the barring functions.The former List 99, Protection of Children Act (PoCA),Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) and DisqualificationOrders regimes were replaced with a single list of those barredfrom working with children and a separate but aligned list ofthose barred from working with vulnerable adults, which is nowadministered and maintained by the DBS.The Coalition Government commissioned a review of theproposed Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS), as introduced bythe former Labour Government, with a view to ‘scaling it backto common-sense levels, to ensure fair and proportionateregulation of those who want to work with vulnerable groups’.Consequently, the proposal to introduce a registration elementof the VBS has been abolished. There is no requirement forthose working or volunteering with vulnerable groups to registerwith the DBS and be subject to continuous monitoring, as wasintended under the original scheme.In addition, the definition of ‘Regulated Activity’ has also beensignificantly narrowed and this was enacted by the Protection ofFreedoms Act 2012. Some activity which was previouslyclassed as ‘regulated activity’ is no longer classed as such if itis reasonably supervised. Statutory guidance on reasonablesupervision is available.However, the safeguarding provisions that were introduced inOctober 2009 under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act2006 remain in force. Primarily, these are:l ● a person who is barred from working with children orvulnerable adults will be breaking the law if they work orvolunteer, or try to work or volunteer, with those groups;l ● an organisation that knowingly employs someone who isbarred to work with those groups will also be breaking the law;l ● if a member of staff who works with children and/orvulnerable adults is dismissed or a volunteer is removedbecause they have harmed a child or vulnerable adult, orwould have done so if they had not left, there is a statutoryduty on the employer/organisation to make a referral tothe DBS.For advice and help ˚ Local Association ˚ Regional Centre ˚ National Executive