July registration halted as VBS is remodelled

janeliv — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:01:58 +0000

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 says:

We will 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.

What will the CRB/AccessNI be doing during the remodelling period?

During this process it will be business as usual for the CRB and AccessNI’s Disclosure service. Although the Scheme has been stopped, changes introduced in October 2009 are still in place. Organisations that are engaging individuals to work in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults should continue to use their existing safeguarding practices, including the use of enhanced CRB/AccessNI disclosures where these are required by law or regarded as appropriate by employers.

New Vetting and Barring Scheme Guidance

janeliv — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:04:23 +0000

The Home Office has today pulished comprehensive VBS guidance which is broken down into sections providing background and scope of the scheme, barring arrangements and the effect on employees, volunteers and regulated activity providers. It also provides useful examples that will help you to understand your duties under the new arrangements and helpful timescales and transition arrangements that you should be aware of.

New CRB/ISA Application Form

janeliv — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:34:58 +0000

The Criminal Records Bureau have issued guidance about the new Application form, to be introduced on 26th July 2010. ARC will be giving all members of the Disclosure Service in England and Wales a copy of the form.

There is also an online interactive guide to help employers and applicants find their way around the new form.

Fees for the new applications have also been confirmed:

Isa registration only £64
Isa registration with and Enhanced CRB check £64
Enhanced CRB check only £36
Standard CRB check £26

ISA Referral Guidance

janeliv — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:46:57 +0000

Employers, local authorities, professional regulators and other bodies have a duty to refer to the ISA, information about individuals working with children or vulnerable adults where they consider them to have caused harm or pose a risk of harm.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority has issued guidance for use when considering or making a referral. The ISA will receive referrals when:
• there is harm or risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults, relevant conduct has occurred or
• an individual has received a caution or conviction for a relevant offence.

This guidance introduces some important new terms such as Regulated Activity and Relevant Conduct.

Vetting and Barring Scheme Launched

janeliv — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:04:12 +0000

The new Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) launches on 12 October 2009.

From 12th October, there will be some small changes to the way people apply for CRB checks. This is the first phase of the Scheme. The next phase, which will allow individuals to start applying for ISA registration, will be introduced in July 2010.

This is what the changes will mean:

The three current barring lists (POCA, POVA and List 99) will be replaced by two new barred lists, administered by the ISA, the Children’s List and the Vulnerable Adults List.

Employers will have a duty to refer information about individuals who may pose a risk to children or adults to the ISA.

There will be penalties for barred individuals who seek to undertake work with vulnerable groups, and for any employer who knowingly take them on.

The eligibility criteria for Enhanced CRB cheks will be extended to include anyone working in a regulated activity with a Regualted Activity Provider.

Standard CRB checks will no longer be available.

The current POVAFirst service will be renamed ISA Adult First.

Revised fees for CRB

janeliv — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:11:46 +0000

The Criminal Records Bureau have announced revised fees for England.

From 1 October, the following Fee levels will apply throughout the remainder of 2009/10.
- Standard CRB check £26.00 (reduced from £31.00)
- Enhanced CRB check £36.00
- POVAFirst check £6.00

Registration with the ARC Disclosure Service is free for ARC members and costs £25 for non-members.

We charge an administration fee for processing all Disclosure applications of £14.38 (including VAT) and £3.45 (including VAT) for Adult ISAFirst applications.

These charges are in addition to those made by the Criminal Records Bureau and Access NI.