VBS is more than that.

The point of VBS is to provides a single, one time clearance for people who wish to work with Children and vulnerable adults to replace the current CRB checks that must be done regularly and for each job you do. So a teacher who coaches Sunday league, runs a youth club and volunteers for help the aged must have a clearance for each under the current system. VBS means you have one, and your registration then covers all of the above.

Not only that the individual does not always pay, some bodies get it for free, or pay a reduced rate, I can't remember which.

So actually what you get is a registration that says that there is no known reason you can't work with vulnerable people, and that yes you aren't a peado, or a fraudster, or a violent criminal and a whole load of other things that bar you from working with these groups.

Pullman's just using an emotive term to highlight some of the stupidities of the way in which the legislation has been interpreted in certain quarters, I some how doubt he's worried at pay £64 to register.

BTW - Seems to have taken the Broken's a long time to ask this question considering when it was actually legislated. It's always been the case that for some applicants a charge would be made, and that the scheme would be self financing. You only have to dig a little.

A titular title goeth here

So, all our new security and vetting procedures are purely for the gubbermint to increase revenue and reduce the deficit?

If the tories are the party for businesses then nulaybore must be the party for dodgy business.

Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em all harshly with a splintery broom handle.

voluntary work

So, because I help out at the local football club so the kids can play soccer, I'm going to be asked to fork out £64 on top of a whole load of my time.

I need about 4 of the parents to be "checked too" anyone who goes within 2M of the touch line in theory should be checked. So for a 7 aside kids team the government want £256.

Now, I live in what many might conciser an affluent area, this demand for money is going to piss people off, but probably not stop the kids getting their football.

How's this going to work in a deprived inner city area?

@AC 14:12

"The point of VBS is to provides a single, one time clearance for people who wish to work with Children and vulnerable adults to replace the current CRB checks that must be done regularly and for each job you do. "

Except that the VBS check does not cover quite the same ground as the enhanced CRB check, so most people will end up having to get both.

Nothing is simple in government:

Except that volunteers do not have to pay for clearance....

So, onto the way it is done.....

"The information can take the form of convictions or cautions; competent body

findings; referrals from organisations, including employers; and other or further

information from any source, e.g. stories in the press (which could trigger the ISA

to request further information from a variety of sources)"

And to add complexity (where simplicity would have been refreshing):

"There may, however, be circumstances where an individual is convicted/cautioned for an

offence which is an ‘auto-bar’ in relation to the children’s list but is an ‘auto-bar with

representation’ in relation to the adults’ list"

Not guilty ?

"Referrals may be received relating to incidents that would have amounted to

‘auto-bar’ offences or ‘auto-bar with reps’ offences but, for whatever reason,

a conviction did not materialise. Here you must still fully examine the

evidence for yourself on the basis of the “balance of probabilities” despite the

lack of a criminal conviction"

Good reading....who drafted it ?

http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/pdf/GuidanceNotesforBarringDecisionMakingProcessweb.pdf

It's worse than you think

@ 'VBS is more than that'

In fact the VBS is a layer on top of the CRB system. Anyone applying for VBS registration will have their application run through the CRB system.

Unfortunately, the VBS has set out very woolly guidelines as to how it will make decisions. In principle applications will go through 'on the nod' unless there is any 'cause for concern' about an individual's behaviour.

That 'cause for concern' may include hearsay, formal complaints that have been dismissed by a professional body, informal complaints that have been dismissed, etc. In all cases the VB board are free to make their own decision based on their assessment of 'the balance of probabilities'(!).

It hopefully doesn't take too much imagination, or experience of bureaucratic processes, to see that the 'precautionary principle' is likely to make itself felt, i.e. 'Can we afford to take the risk of being wrong on this case?'.

Yes, people will be able to appeal a negative response, but in the meantime they will be hung out to dry and forbidden from taking up a new post, maybe suspended from their current job, and will somehow have to argue that 'on the balance of probabilities' they are in fact trustworthy and suitable for the job.

This outfit are going to have they say so over the careers and livelihood's of near on half the working population---the imperial possibilities are simply stupendous.

Meanwhile the vast majority of abuse of vulnerable people takes place not in the workplace but in the home, by family members and 'friends' of the person being abused.

I quit

I have a squeaky clean CRB and no concerns. Until recently I taught map reading, expedition training etc at air cadets.

Saw this legislation coming and quit because we were already struggling to find adult volunteers, CRB requirement reduced the supply and VBS will do more. We'd already lost 2 volunteers with no replacements and the result was an expectation that those remaining would do more.

VBS wasn't the only reason to quit, the Health and Safety garbage meant it was getting very difficult to do any "adventure" activities because it is in their nature that they involve a degree of risk taking. H&S wants to eliminate risk, the only guarantee of that is to stop any activity that includes an element of risk.

This governments policy of preventing adults from interacting with youngsters is a pretty obvious contributor to them "making their own entertainment" by torturing other kids within an inch of their lives to take a topical example. On the other hand I've seen how organisations like Scouts and Cadets really do get kids involved in challenge and adventure - and they love it.

The real question is whether the Tory government will do anything to improve the situation.