ISA - Independent Safeguarding Authority

Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA)

In April 2009, the Home Office announced a new timetable for the Vetting and Barring Scheme. Much of the process described below has been postponed until 2010.

See: Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) - Important Changes - October 2009 for details of the first changes that will happen.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been created to help prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable adults or children - ISA manage the POVA list.

Information about how the referral process works can be found on the ISA’s website:
www.isa-gov.org.uk (Follow the links on the ISA web site for Referrals)

The ISA Role

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.)

The ISA already manages the existing lists of people banned or restricted from working with children or vulnerable adults. From 12th October 2009 ISA will introduce a new list of people who have been vetted by ISA and are considered suitable to work with children or vulnerable adults - This new process is known as the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS)

How will it affect Employers ?

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 defines regulated activities involving working with children or vulnerable adults. Broadly, this is any activity that involves contact with children or vulnerable adults, or work in specific places such as schools, care homes, or hospitals.

Any person undertaking a regulated activity must be registered on the ISA list. This will be a legal requirement. It will be the employer’s responsibility to enrol someone who is not on the list, or check an entry of someone who claims they are already on the list.

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Applying to be on the ISA List

You apply for an Enhanced Disclosure in the existing manner. The CRB will check all their information sources as at present and at the end of the process will pass any information they have obtained to the ISA. Based on the information revealed, the ISA will register a person on the list, or refuse the entry request.

When do the ISA Checks Start?

From 12th October 2009, new employees going into a regulated activity will have to be ISA checked. However, employers have a transitional period to get existing staff ISA registered – up to 5 years, registering those with the oldest CRB checks first.

How long does it take ?

An ISA registration involves an enhanced disclosure first, before the information is passed to ISA. The overall target has not yet been announced but will be in excess of the 4 week target the CRB have for enhanced disclosures.

How much will it cost ?

The CRB fee, including the ISA registration, will be £64.00 The CRB do not charge a fee for unpaid volunteers. Our own fee will be in addition to this.

What if new employees are already ISA checked?

New employees can be checked to see if they are on the ISA list through registered or umbrella bodies such as APCS. ISA haven’t yet announced the mechanism for doing this so the fee is not yet set.

Do I still need CRB Disclosure ?

The SVG Act stipulates only that staff in regulated activities must be ISA registered, so a disclosure may not be necessary. However, an ISA check gives only a Yes / No answer, no background or further information is given. A disclosure gives full criminal history and any additional police force information deemed relevant. An employer in a regulated position is entitled to this information so may be taking a risk by not obtaining it.

Some regulatory bodies (e.g. CSCI) may still require that a CRB disclosure is carried out.

Updated April 2009