9/12/09
By Stephen C. Webster
The United Kingdom will roll out on Saturday the first phase of an anti-pedophile system called the “Vetting and Barring Scheme,” which will ultimately create what one British newspaper referenced as “the largest database of its kind in the world.”
“It’s not as quite as radical as it sounds,” explained UK children’s Minister Delyth Morgan in an interview with the BBC.
The Vetting and Barring Scheme is essentially a system of criminal background checks that is mandatory for every paid worker in a job which gives them access to children. Those workers must pay a fee of £64 to register themselves with the new agency, established by the government’s Independent Safeguarding Authority.
If those workers — estimated to be some 11.3 million people — do not pay the fee and register with the database, they will be subjected to a fine of up to £5,000 and a mark on their criminal record, according to The Telegraph.
Others required to register for the database include volunteers, or anyone who has any supervisory role over a child that is not theirs. This would even include parent drivers, who volunteer to carpool others’ children home, noted Politics.co.uk.
Criminal penalties will be imposed should a business allow anyone barred under the scheme near a child or “vulnerable person.”
“Those who are cleared by the ISA will be placed on a separate list, which can be checked by charities and employers on the internet. It will be constantly updated to reflect any new criminal convictions or intelligence,” noted The Mail Online.
“A person’s registration status is continuously monitored and if any new information such as a relevant caution or conviction, or information from employers comes to light, the ISA is informed,” adds a government-produced FAQ on the scheme. “They will re-assess the person’s potential risk to vulnerable groups and decide whether or not it is appropriate to permit continuing registration.
“It was recommended after the murders in Soham of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman by the caretaker at their school, Ian Huntley,” added Sky News. “He was given the job despite allegations of sex with underage girls in his past, which were not passed on.”
The Telegraph noted: “Critics warned the system, the largest database of its kind in the world, is disproportionate and will put people off volunteering or carrying out public duties.”
In a separate piece, Mail Online characterized the new laws as applying to one in four UK parents.
“Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: ‘We are going to drive away volunteers, we’ll see clubs and activities close down and we’ll end up with more bored young people on our streets,’” the paper added.
“Liberal Democrat spokesman Chris Huhne said: ‘We are in danger of creating a world in which we think every adult who approaches children means to do them harm. The creation of the world’s biggest checking system is a disproportionate response to the problem it is trying to solve.’”
