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MEETING ON 16 MARCH 2001 AT HALTON
REPORT OF THE CO-ORDINATOR
1. Matter for Consideration:
The charges for the vetting of volunteers working with vulnerable people.
2. Introduction:
A letter has been sent to the Chair of SSNW Councillor Morris from Councillor Joynes on behalf of Oldham Social Services Committee, asking that the topic of vetting - or security checking - voluntary workers be considered in a future agenda of the SSNW Committee. The letter is attached for members' information.
3. Information:
3.1 Members will be aware that it is intended that by July 2001, a new Criminal Records Bureau will provide a 'one stop shop' for all organisations whose employees or volunteers come into contact with children and vulnerable adults. However, the Government proposes that criminal records checks will be paid for by the applicant, which will result in a cost of at least £10 each. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has expressed concerns about the potentially prohibitive cost of criminal records checks . Where charges are imposed, it is likely that larger voluntary organisations would pay for the necessary checks, but in the case of smaller ones the burden would be passed on the volunteers themselves.
3.2 Members may recall that the issue of police checks has been raised before by NWASSA in October 1998, where concern centred around the difficulty of obtaining police checks. More recently at a meeting of Oldham Council in November 2000 it was noted with concern that the current Home Office circular is only a guideline for agencies involved in vetting voluntary workers, whether they work with vulnerable children or adults in the statutory or voluntary sector. As a result, the motion detailed below has been carried by Oldham Council and the letter sent by Councillor Joynes. The motion, carried with all party support, asked that the Government :
" (1) make it mandatory for the Police and the new Criminal Records Agency to vet all workers, without exception, who are involved with the care and development of children and other vulnerable people;
(2) make available funding to allow all voluntary organisations working with vulnerable people to request vetting for any new volunteer;
(3) make it compulsory that such requests for vetting , as detailed in (1) and (2) above , should be completed by the police within 30 days."
3.3 In early February of this year, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment David Blunkett announced
that the cost of vetting workers with voluntary groups would be met by the Government. This appears to be aimed
only at volunteers working with children and does not address the wider issue of potential abuse faced by all
vulnerable people.
3.4 As no further information is available at the time of writing this report, it is not clear to what extent Oldham
Council's concerns will be addressed by the latest developments.
4. Recommendations:
4.1. Members are asked to note the report.
4.2 Members are asked to consider endorsing the motion carried by Oldham Council.
4.3. Members are asked to consider approaching relevant Ministers, both to clarify which organisations will benefit
from the dropping of charges for vetting voluntary workers, and to emphasise the importance of protecting all vulnerable
people through the proper vetting of volunteers.
Appendix: Letter to Chair, Social Services North West from Cllr E Joynes, Oldham
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