vetting and barring scheme

[southeastastra]

have you heard of this? here

seems everyone working with children will need this as well as a crb, if i understand it correctly. it costs £63

But you only apply for it once. And it will make it easier for employers to get you started in your role, as if you're already on the list you would be able to start work while your CRB check is underway, rather than have to wait 4-6 weeks for clearance as is the case at present.

I have mentioned about the ISA on occasion over the past few months. Not that anyone seemed that interested.

It is a voluntary scheme to start with. Unlike the existing CRB check, once registered with ISA, when new information about a registered individual becomes available, it will automatically be made available to the ISA, who will then be able to determine if that makes the person still suitable to work with children. Information will be gathered from numerous sources, including Social Services and Ofsted - so it will become THE LIST that all those working in childcare will need to be on.

The big benefit I see to this is that employers of nannies will be able to check the list at any time (possibly for free, though not sure all fees have yet been fully decided). It DOES NOT replace the Enhanced CRB check, childcare workers will still need one of those but I suspect that it will make things a bit more portable, so a CRB check may only be re-done every 3 years, instead of for every job.

Nannies I expect will: Register under ISA plus under Ofsted. Parents will then be able to confirm Ofsted registration status and ISA status, and from those combined can make a recruitment decision with regard to the persons suitability to be with children. It won't mean that the person know's what they doing... just that the various government bodies have no concerns.

thanks for clarifying nannynick, it's compulsory after october isn't it

I'm very interested Nick

I even put you it into my OU work

I've actually worked on the communications for the ISA, which I guess makes me an expert on this. (WIll also be personally relevant to me when it happens, as a soon-to-be employer of a nanny!)

I'd be happy to explain more about the ISA to anyone who wants to know, although nannynick has summed it up very well.

I believe that when it comes into force, organisations (such as schools) will begin having to get all their employees registered, starting with those with no, or very old, CRB checks and when recruiting new staff. The CRB check will be part of the ISA registration process.

For parents it will be voluntary, in the sense that you won't HAVE to employ an ISA-registered nanny, but it will give you extra reassurance. Like nannynick, I think it is a good thing.

So how will affect me as a childminder & as an employer of childminders & assistants

Once it's up and running, the ISA system would probably mean you have to be ISA-registered before you can work as a childminder, or employ childminders. (I say probably, because while employers such as schools will HAVE to only employ ISA-registered teachers, it's possible that parents will be allowed to employ non-ISA-registered nannies/childminders if they want - have looked on the website but can't find the answer to this, maybe they don't know yet.)

However, as a professional child-carer, you would want to be ISA-registered anyway because not having it would suggest you don't take your career seriously and would massively limit your job options.

Timingwise, the ISA website is cagey about when it's coming into force (I think it's taking a while to set up) and when it does, it will be phased, ie a school wouldn't have to immediately fire all its teachers because they aren't ISA-registered yet.

As a self-employed childminder, you would be responsible for registering yourself, so that parents could check your ISA status when considering using you. (Parents can't see what your record says about you - only the fact that you are either ISA-registered or not.)

The USPS of the ISA will be:

1. it combines several existing exclusion lists of people who mustn't work with children, in one place
2. it's continuously updated, thus if I as a mum hire a nanny/childminder who abuses my child, I would be responsible for informing the ISA so that they can update the person's details, and if necessary bar them, so that they can no longer work with children/vulnerable adults.

Re CRB checks, the ISA and CRB are working closely together but I'm not 100% clear on how the need for a CRB check will fit with being ISA-registered. Possibly, when you apply for ISA registration, the ISA will look at results of your previous checks, but if you need a new one for a specific job, it's up to you to get one. But don't quote me on that!