March 2011 As a result of the Criminal Records Regime Review, the CRB will now start to develop plans to make the following changes to its service.  Changes due in 2012.

16 March 2011 As a result of the recent Government changes to the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) the cost of an Enhanced CRB check will increase by £8 from 6 April 2011.  All other fees remain unchanged.  Therefore an Enhanced CRB check will cost £44.

11 February 2011 The Government’s Freedoms Bill calls for a merging of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority to form “a streamlined new body providing a proportionate barring and criminal records checking service”.

22 December 2010 Both Ise of Man and Channel Islands driving licences are acceptable identity documents in the CRB application process.  The CRB will treat them as an equivalent to the UK document

December 2010 Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) Adult First update – the amount of information held by the ISA has increased considerably which means that slightly more results are coming back as “wait for the CRB certificate”.

17 November 2010 A measure in the new Freedom Bill announcement will allow people who were prosecuted for consensual gay sex at a time when this was illegal, to apply to have their convictions removed from the Police National Computer and other police records.  The Freedom Bill is due to be published in January 2011.

20 October 2010 The Government  announced their four year Spending Review to Parliament, within which they are considering legislation to increase the portability of CRB Checks and researching and developing a continuously updated disclosure product.  Further information will be available at publication of the Criminal Records Review due in Spring 2011.

15 June 2010 The Government announced their intention to remodel the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) back to “proportionate, common sense levels” (http://www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk/)

Whilst implementation of the VBS is halted whilst a review takes place, the safeguarding regulations introduced in October 2009 continue to apply. These include:

A person who is barred from working with children or vulnerable adults will be breaking the law if they work or volunteer, or try to work or volunteer with those groups.

An organisation which knowingly employs someone who is barred to work with those groups will also be breaking the law.

If your organisation works with children or vulnerable adults and you dismiss a member of staff or a volunteer because they have harmed a child or vulnerable adult, or you would have done so if they had not left, you must tell the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

During the review, the Independent Safeguarding Authority will continue to carry out its work as an independent decision making body as well as continuing to maintain the barred lists. They will also continue to accept referrals.

Contact Vivien and Judith on 01273 414981