February 18, 2011
The Government’s provisions in the new Freedom Bill, due to become law in early 2012, include plans to cut back on the number of people required to undergo criminal record bureau checks in order to work with children and vulnerable adults. At present, about nine million people in the UK are required to be CRB vetted. Under the new scheme, only those that have intensive contact with children and vulnerable adults will need to be registered. In addition, the provisions include plans to merge the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority, to enable CRB checks to be transferable from job to job and to end the continuous monitoring required by the vetting and barring scheme. The changes are designed to make the system more proportionate and to reduce costs through a reduction in bureaucracy. Employers should be aware that needlessly requesting CRB checks once the Act is in force could results in penalties. Other related changes included in the Freedom Bill include plans to reduce the scope of the police DNA database by removing the DNA of people without any convictions and restricting local authority surveillance powers and the use of CCTV cameras in general.