In October 2009 the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) will replace the existing Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme.
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 will assess every person who wants to work or volunteer with vulnerable people. Potential employees and volunteers will need to apply to register with the ISA.
Using this information they will decide on a case-by-case basis whether each person is suited to this work. They will securely store information about people’s ISA status for employers and voluntary organisations to use when they are recruiting. Each person who is registered will be given a unique reference number, which can be checked via an online portal, by prospective employers.
The scheme will go live on 12 October 2009. This will be the official start date of the scheme. After this date anyone entering or changing jobs in ‘regulated activity’ will be required to register with the ISA. Members of the workforce already in regulated activity will have their registrations phased in over a period of five years.
The cost for applying for ISA registration will be £64. This fee consists of two components. The first part of the fee, which has been set as £28 will cover the following:
· the cost of administering the registration process with the ISA;
· the cost of the online registration checking system;
· the cost of volunteers registering with the scheme (as they register for free); and
· the cost of continuous monitoring and updating whilst registered with the scheme.
The remaining £36 covers the CRB’s costs as administrators of the applications. Registration can only take place by completing a new CRB Disclosure.
ISA registration will be transferable. That is to say if a person changes jobs or takes up new voluntary activity they will not have to apply again. However employers will still need to satisfy themselves that a prospective employee does not have any criminal convictions, cautions, or other issues known to the police which although not serious enough to bar them from registration, they would consider meant they were not appropriate for a particular role within their organisation.
Further information about how the scheme will work can be found in the CRB website or the ISA’s website http://www.isa-gov.org/