Following the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells by Ian Huntley (a school caretaker) in 2002, the Bichard Inquiry was commissioned. One of the issues this inquiry looked at was the way employers recruit people to work with children and vulnerable adults.
It asked whether the way employers check the background of job applicants is reliable enough. It also asked whether employers should be responsible for deciding whether a job applicant can be safely employed.
The inquiry’s recommendations led to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which recognised the need for a single agency to vet all individuals who want to work or volunteer with vulnerable people.
The ISA was created to fulfil this role across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Scotland is developing its own similar system, which will work closely with the ISA.)
Independence
The ISA will operate independently of individual government ministers, including the Secretary of State, who is currently in charge of making discretionary barring decisions. Such decisions will now be taken by our board of public appointees.
Accountabililty
As a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) we have certain statutory responsibilities and our effectiveness and efficiency are closely scrutinised by government and stakeholders. For example, we have to report annually to Parliament and all our operations – including decisions on barring – must be seen to be fair, open and transparent.
How do we work?
The ISA will assess every person who wants to work or volunteer with vulnerable people. We will do this by working closely with the Criminal Records Bureau
The CRB will receive applications to the ISA and will gather and monitor information. It will also use the information previously found in:
the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) list;
the Protection of Children Act (PoCA) list; and
List 99 (a list of people considered unsuitable for work with children, held by the Department for Children, Schools and Families).
We (the ISA) will then assess this information and decide whether to give the individual concerned ISA registration or put them on one of the ISA Barred Lists.
Our records will be constantly updated as fresh information is gathered. If new data indicates that an individual might pose a risk to vulnerable people, they will be put on one of the ISA Barred Lists and their current employer will be informed immediately.
Independent decision-making
The ISA will be independent. Ministers will no longer be involved in making decisions on individual cases. We will make all the discretionary barring decisions that are currently taken by the Secretary of State based on clear criteria and evidence.
Balance of expertise
A board of public appointees and a team of highly trained experts based in Darlington will support us in our work. We will also ensure that the police and other experts are represented.
Clear accountability
Whilst we are independent of any one particular government department, we are a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). This means that we have certain statutory responsibilities and that our performance, efficiency and effectiveness will be scrutinised closely by both government and stakeholders.
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