The Independent Safeguarding Authority have published official guidance in relation to the introduction of the initial phase of the Vetting & Barring Scheme (VBS). This is available by clicking on the following link: http://www.isa-gov.org

As the Scheme moves forward you may find it helps your staff, member organisations or other stakeholders, if you put the following on your website or in newsletters in coming weeks.

As you may know from our publicity, the three key changes at 12 October 2009 for employers and employees (including managers of, and volunteers in, unpaid work) are:

for employers: you must not knowingly employ in regulated activity, or use as a volunteer, a barred person;

for employers: if you dismiss or cease using a person in regulated activity (or in controlled activity) because you think they harmed or pose a risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults, you must refer the case to the ISA (see ISA referrals guidance, below);

for employees: if you yourself are barred from regulated activity, you must not work, or seek to work, in regulated activity from which you are barred.

Guidance documents about the new duty from 12 October for employers and others to make referrals to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), and about the ISA Decision Making Process, are available on the ISA website:

• new duty to make referrals at: www.isa-gov.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=397;
• ISA decision making process at: www.isa-gov.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=382;

The attached Guidance covering the first aspects of the Scheme will be followed at a later date by guidance on other changes which take place later. Three key changes which do not happen until later are:

July 2010 – new entrants to work with vulnerable groups can register with the ISA;

November 2010 – new entrants must register with the ISA before starting work;

April 2011 – existing workers can start to ISA-register. We will publish, in good time, our recommendations as to dates by when they should register.

April 2011 – existing workers can start to ISA-register. We will publish, in good time, our recommendations as to dates by when they should register.

We are aware that there is still a significant demand for this Full Scheme Guidance. We hope you would agree that it is right to prioritise first the instalment which details changes at 12 October 2009, with the second instalment – about changes in 2010 and in later years – following after.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your input to the Guidance through your comments and the questions that have shaped it, and for your patience during its production.