16th February 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
More news has emerged regarding the changes to the Criminal Vetting a Barring Scheme (VBS), which has been under review since the new coalition government came to office. Last June the home secretary, Theresa May, suspended the changes that were due to take place because they were considered to be too extreme, and would require a disproportionate amount of administration for volunteers and thos who only occasionally came into contact with children.
It’s claimed that the departing Labour Government introduced the new guidelines as a reaction to when caretaker, Ian Huntley, murdered two girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who attended that school at which he worked. In conjunction with the ISA (Independent safeguarding Authority), the new guidelines required anyone who came into contact with children at least once per week, to be registered and apply for a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure.
The Telegraph has reported that the new guidelines have been scrapped in favour of a more ‘common sense’ approach. Previously 9 million people would have been affected, but the proposals which are expected to be announced shortly will affect half of that number. Also, the onus will shift to employers, rather than individuals, to ensure that the right people are registered.
Private tutors were not going to be directly affected by the guidelines issued by the departing government. Technically, in most situations, the parent is the ‘employer’, and it is at the parent’s discretion whether to require that a tutor has a CRB disclosure or not. Blue Tutors advice is always that parents, students and tutors should place more emphasis on following good child safety practices, rather than relying on a piece of paper which says that someone has no previous convictions.