Knowsley Supporting People

Safeguarding Adults & Children’s Checks

Version: / 1
Approved by:
Date formally approved:
Document Author: / Verity Price
Name of responsible directorate: / Health & Wellbeing
Review date: / April 2010
Target audience: / Service Users, Support Providers

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KMBC DOCUMENT CONTROL PAGE

TITLE

/ Title: Knowsley Supporting People Safeguarding Adults & Children’s Checks
Publication Date: May 2009
Document Type: Policy

Version Number: 1

Brief Summary: Knowsley Supporting People’s policy on services undertaking safeguarding checks to protect vulnerable people
ORIGINATOR / Document Author and Job Title: Verity Price, Contracts and Review Manager
Responsible Directorate: Health & Wellbeing
Policy Operational Level:Level 4 – Operational Polices & Strategies
FORMAL APPROVAL / Approved by: Supporting People Commissioning Body
Date approved:
REVIEW / Review Date: April 2010
Responsibility of: Contracts & Review Manager
SUPERSEDES / Supersedes:None
Description of Amendments: None
POLICY DEPENDENCIES / Link to other Council documents:Knowsley Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Policy (2008) and Knowsley Safeguarding Vulnerable Children Policy (2009).
Link to Council Primary Objective: Operational / Enabling
Link to Local Strategic Partnership Priority: N/A
KMBC DOCUMENT CONTROL PAGE (2) Continued
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Screening Matrix Complete: Yes No
Date Complete:
Manager/Group responsible:
Category: High Medium Low No relevance
Based on the category indicate the date that a further assessment must take place:
Full Equality Impact Assessment Process is complete: Yes No
Date Complete:
SUSTAINABILITY
APPRAISAL / To evaluate the economic, social and environmental impacts of a policy you should complete the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal Toolkit on the Policy Hub
Policy has been appraised for sustainability: Yes No
Action has been taken to mitigate any identified negative impacts:
Yes No N/A
Date Complete:
RISK ASSESSMENT / A risk assessment template is available on the Corporate Risk Management intranet site.
Policy has been risk assessed: Yes No
Date complete:
TRAINING/ AWARENESS RAISING / Training / awareness raising required to fully implement document: Yes No
If no please state why:
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Training provided by:
POLICY LIBRARY / Once formally approved the document should be posted onto the Policy Library on the council intranet.
Date Posted:
Posted by:
Contents / Page
1 / Introduction / 4
2 / Background / 4
2.1 / Vetting and Baring Scheme / 4
2.2 / Criminal Record Bureau Checks / 4
3 / The Policy / 5
4 / Advice and guidance / 6

1. Introduction

This document sets out the Commissioning Body’s policy in relation to checks aimed at safeguarding adults and children.

.

2Background

The Integrated Commissioning Team commission a wide range of housing related support services that are delivered directly to vulnerable adults and young people. Although children are not supported in these services, they do come into contact with children. Ensuring the safety of service users and children who visit services is paramount. Part of this process includes ensuring that adequate checks are carried out on staff delivering services. These checks include undertaking Criminal Record Bureau checks and using the Vetting and Baring Scheme for employees working with vulnerable people.

2.1 Vetting and Baring Scheme

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) administers the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) which became operational in January 2009. This scheme was created under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and replaces the List 99, PoCA, PoVA and Disqualified Orders regimes.

The VBS changes the way in which decisions about who can work with vulnerable people are made. The ISA will decide who is unsuitable to work or volunteer which vulnerable groups. It’s decisions will be based on pulling together information held by various agencies, government departments and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

Once the scheme is fully rolled out, it will be illegal to hire someone in regulated activity who is not registered, and has therefore not been checked by, the ISA. From January 2008 all new employees and volunteers in will need to be registered with the ISA. Within 5 years of the launch all employees will need to have been registered with the scheme.

2.2 Criminal Record Bureau Checks

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), an Executive Agency of the Home Office, provides access to criminal record information through itsDisclosure service. This service enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially work that involves children or vulnerable adults. The CRB was established under Part V of the Police Act 1997 and was launched in March 2002.

The introduction of the VBS does not introduce any changes to current legal requirements on when employers must make a CRB check on staff or volunteers. Nor does it change any current guidance on when employers should make a CRB check. Providers will therefore still be required to request an enhanced CRB check on all staff working with vulnerable people.

The Supporting People Steady State Contract includes a requirement that providers shall have all staff and volunteers checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) which must be updated every 3 years.

As part of the ongoing quality visits conducted by the team, Knowsley will monitor providers to ensure that they have all complied with the requirement to participate in the Vetting and Baring Scheme and CRB check staff.

3. Policy Statement

The Commissioning Body approved the following policy statement on the [insert date].

Policy statement

The Supporting People Commissioning Body adopts the following policy in relation to undertaking safeguarding checks for adults and children.

  • Providers will be required to comply with the contractual requirement to carry out CRB checks every 3 years.
  • Providers will be required to refer all new staff to the Vetting and Baring Scheme (VBS) administered by the Independent Safeguarding Authority and abide by their decision on whether that person is suitable to work with vulnerable people.
  • When an employee’s CRB check is 2 years old (or before) the Provider must renew the CRB check and ensure that the employee is registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).
  • Provider will abide by the ISA decision on who is suitable to work with vulnerable people.
  • The Integrated Commissioning Team will use its best endeavours to carry out such verification as they are able to do under existing legislation, as part of contract compliance.
  • Providers will need to show they have policies to carry out CRB checks and in relation to the recruitment of ex-offenders, a policy that complies with the Secretary of State’s Code of Practice under s122 Police Act 1997.
  • Providers will also need to be a Registered Body for the purposes of the Code of Practice, or show that they use an appropriate umbrella body, to ensure they have done everything reasonable within their powers to employ only fit and proper people to provide support services to the vulnerable adults and children in Knowsley.

4.Advice & guidance

For advice and/or guidance on any aspect of this policy or any other matter relating to Supporting People services please contact the Supporting People Team who will endeavour to resolve your queries.

Tel: 1051 443 4759

Email:

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