As from July 2010 it will be a legal requirement for employers to ensure that new employees or those changing post within an organisation to work with vulnerable groups are registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authrotiy (ISA). Over the coming five years it will also be a legal requirement for existing employees to be registered.
If you have applied for a job whereby you will be working with children & young people or vulnerable adults, you will be asked by your employer or voluntary organisation for your ISA registration details or, if you are not yet registered, that you apply for ISA registration. Your employer will also require a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure that can be used to check the background of job applicants to ensure that they do not have a history that would make them unsuitable for the posts they are applying for.
What is ISA Registration?
The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) are to deliver the new Vetting and Barring Scheme as laid down by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. The new scheme creates lists, not only of those who are barred from working with children or vulnerable adults, but also those who are explicitly allowed to work with these groups.
An individual’s ISA registration is a lifetime registration that shows that no information is held that demonstrated that person poses a risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults. The scheme is designed to ensure that anyone who presents a known risk to vulnerable groups is prevented from working with them. A person’s registration status is continuously updated and any new information held by the police or employers will be monitored by ISA to re-assess the person’s potential risk to vulnerable groups, which may lead to the individual being barred.
The ISA scheme does not replace the need for a CRB check as it will not highlight all criminal history, only that which is serious enough for someone to be on one of the barred lists. Two new barred Lists (one for Children and one for Vulnerable Adults) will replace the existing Protection of Children Act (PoCA) List, List 99 and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) List in England and Wales. The ISA is a Non Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Home Office.
More information on the new scheme can be downloaded from the ISA Opens in a new window websites.
What is a CRB Disclosure?
A Disclosure is a document that contains information held by the police and government department and can be used by employers and voluntary organisations to make safer recruitment decisions. Disclosures are provided by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), an executive agency of the Home Office. For further information, visit the CRB Opens in a new window website or telephone the CRB information line on 0870 90 90 811.
How do I apply for ISA Registration and/or a Disclosure?
The Council of the Isles of Scilly is an umbrella body, registered to apply for ISA Registration & CRB Disclosures for other organisations. Your employer will ask you to apply for registration or a disclosure through this Authority. You may either contact Chief Executives Dept or telephone 01720 424024 for an informal discussion.
Application forms can be obtained from the reception desk at the Town Hall along with a guidance booklet for completing the form. Once your form is completed, you will be required to bring it along with certain documents to the Town Hall to confirm your identity. The list of acceptable identity documents Opens in a new window will assist you in your choice of documents you will need to bring with you.
