The Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) aims to prevent harm to children or vulnerable adults by those who seek to work with them either as paid staff or volunteers.

From November 2010 people wishing to work with children in specified settings or in specified ways (known as ‘regulated activity’) will be required to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). This will provide assurance that there are no grounds for believing that they present a risk of harm to children and that they have not been statutorily barred from working with them.

Click to read the recently published report: Drawing the Line and to get more details of the Scheme on DCSF's Every Child Matters site.

The written statement to the Parliament from the Secretary of State For Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls) on two fundamental guiding principles set out in the Report:

• Where parents exercise their own judgement about who should care for their children that is entirely a private matter in which the scheme should not interfere.
• The statutory requirements laid down should go no further than is necessary for the safety and protection of children. At the same time, it is also necessary, and appropriate, to recognise that some organisations will choose to require registration in situations of exceptional vulnerability, whether or not the frequency test is met.

The Report recommended the following adjustments to the Scheme:

• Changing the definition of "frequency" within the scheme from once a month or more to once a week or more. This covers regular repetitive activity;
• Making a parallel change to the "intensive" definition, from three or more days in a 30 day period, or overnight, to four or more days in a 30 day period, or overnight. This covers the circumstances where there is contact over a short space of time which is not necessarily repeated;
• Removing the requirement to register with the scheme if regulated activity is carried out frequently in different settings (such as schools) rather than taking place frequently in a single setting;
• Raising the minimum age at which young people should be required to register from 16 to 18, where the regulated activity in which they are engaged is organised as part of their studies – for example a community service programme involving volunteering work with children or vulnerable adults;
• Allowing workers from overseas who bring their own groups of children or vulnerable adults into this country to be exempt from registering for up to 3 months for the work they do with the children or vulnerable adults they have brought to the UK; and
• Regarding school exchange visits lasting less than 28 days, where the overseas family accepts the responsibility for the selection of the host family, as private arrangements which are exempt from the scheme.