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Hi everyone,

 

Its been along time since i last posted..sorry. I run a pre school and one of my staff is currently doing nvq3, she has just telephoned me to say her tutor has said that all child care workers will need to complete an IFA in Sept 08 her tutor couldnt give her anymore details so she phoned me :o this is the first i have heard of it, does anyone know what this is.

 

Claire

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Thanks Wolfie,

 

I did google as well and nothing came back, no wonder her tutor couldnt provide anymore info, my staff member did say it had something to do with stopping incidents like Ian Huntley slipping througth the net and it was similar in nature to a crb?? Will have to tell staff member to tell tutor we couldnt find out any more info...but if i do will let you know :o

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Guest MaryEMac

When we had our ofsted inspection before Christmas, the inspecter said that the government would be bringing in a new type of CRB check and that all staff would probably have to be checked. She didn't say what it was going to be called though.

 

Mary

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ISA

Hi everyone,

 

Its been along time since i last posted..sorry. I run a pre school and one of my staff is currently doing nvq3, she has just telephoned me to say her tutor has said that all child care workers will need to complete an IFA in Sept 08 her tutor couldnt give her anymore details so she phoned me :o this is the first i have heard of it, does anyone know what this is.

 

Claire

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Hi Everyone,

 

This post has been hilarious :o but the mystery is now solved, it is an ISA as previously mentioned by a poster, here are the details.

 

 

The Independent Safeguarding Authority: a new scheme for vetting, barring and accessing CRB checks

What is it?

The new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) scheme for vetting and barring will aim to help organisations increase protection of children and vulnerable adults, by improving the current provisions for screening potential (and current) volunteers and employees. (This has previously been called the “Vetting and Barring Scheme” but it is no longer being referred to by this name.)

 

It plans to do this through a registration system, stopping people who the scheme decides are unsuitable from volunteering (or trying to volunteer) with children and vulnerable adults.

 

An independent barring board (which will be known as the Independent Safeguarding Authority) will take responsibility for making barring decisions. The application processes for vetting and barring decisions will be run by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

 

The new scheme does not distinguish between volunteers and paid workers, as it is only concerned with access to vulnerable people. The new rules will apply to both volunteers and paid workers.

 

The scheme will integrate all 4 of the lists that indicate that someone should not work with children and/or vulnerable adults (The POCA & POVA lists; The Information held under Section 142 of the Education Act 2002 - formerly List 99 - and The Disqualification Order Regime), into 1 list of those barred from working with children, and a separate (but aligned) list of people who should not work with vulnerable adults.

 

An important change is that many more organisations will be under a legal obligation to carry out checks than is currently the case. At the moment there is much more discretion on the part of volunteer-involving organisations (and employers).

 

Volunteers who apply to be involved in certain activities (see below) will need to be registered members of the scheme. Once within the scheme instant online checks will indicate whether or not there is any (current) known reason why the volunteer may or may not volunteer with children or vulnerable adults. It will be an offence for an unchecked adult to volunteer in certain activities with children and/or vulnerable adults, which means that volunteers must be checked before they can volunteer. The volunteer will also be tracked, so if information about the volunteer does come to light, your organisation will be notified if a volunteer’s status changes. Your organisation will also be under an increased duty to disclose any information received about a volunteer to the scheme, even if the volunteer has left; either by directly contacting the scheme, or to contact the relevant statutory agency (e.g. your local council’s health & social care services department or the Police) who will make the decision whether or not to refer information to the scheme. Who you contact depends on the kind of organisation you are, and the kind of activities the volunteers will be involved in.

 

When will this happen?

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act received Royal Assent in November 2006.

 

The new scheme will be phased in from autumn 2008, for both new and existing volunteers.

 

Which activities will be affected?

Any activity that is defined as a “regulated activity” or a “controlled activity”.

 

A “regulated activity” include ones that involve:

 

Contact with children and/or vulnerable adults; and is of a “specified nature” (this includes teaching, training, care, supervision, advice, treatment or transport); and takes place “frequently”*, “intensively”* or “overnight” *.

Contact with children and/or vulnerable adults and is in a “specified place” e.g. a school; and takes place “frequently”* or “intensively”*.

Fostering and childcare

Certain positions, e.g. school governor.

* These words have specific legal definitions, e.g. “intensively” means that the regulated activity takes place on 3 or more days in a 30-day period. There is not any more information about “frequently” yet.

 

Before a volunteer can start a regulated activity they must have been checked by the scheme. It will be an offence for a “barred” person to undertake regulated activity. It will also be an offence for a volunteer-involving organisation not to check a volunteer before they begin volunteering in a regulated activity

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WOW thanks for that cupcake (welcome back :o )

 

I've only had a quick scan read but it seems that this will affect everyone. I do find it confusing in that most of the 'text' refers to volunteers yet there is the statement;

The new scheme does not distinguish between volunteers and paid workers, as it is only concerned with access to vulnerable people. The new rules will apply to both volunteers and paid workers.

 

It appears this will affect me as a Foster carer.

 

I'd much prefer this than the ID cards described in the link from Inge.

 

Peggy

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  • 11 months later...

Just thought I'd share this article which the lovely people at Parenta have emailed me. Apparently the government is to "hand control of vetting and barring of children's workers over to the newly created Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) from 20 January."

 

The article expresses concern that the ISA has not yet released any contact details so that employers can contact them, and when I looked at the ISA webside there was no new information to hand. Strange that there's no new information on there 12 days ahead of the handover date. xD

 

One other thing confused me - the article goes on to say "All employers must send their referrals for List 99 and the Protection of Children Act list - which record the names of people banned from working with children - to the ISA rather than the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health from this date." Presumably this is what the CRB companies do when they check an employee on our behalf, so presumably now they will do this via the ISA?

 

I know from looking at the ISA web site that applicants will need to apply to be registered with the ISA - and that employers must check the ISA status of new employees. It also says that for some employees there will need to be a CRB check too. So that does mean we'll still need to use TMG or our preferred CRB company, or will the ISA handle that too?

 

Talk about confusing! :o

 

Maz

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Hmmm, does that mean that the tutor may possibly have a lisp I wonder? (IFA........ ISA....... could be xD )

Not sure LJW: I did have a job finding the right thread to post this in but I knew we'd had a discussion about it. No wonder I couldn't find the thread I wanted! :o

 

You've got me thinking now about all the rude words I can make by exchanging an 'ess' for an 'eff'!

 

Maz

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