This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Protection for children and vulnerable adults
12/02/2002
A brand new system to increase protection for children
and vulnerable adults was launched today in Glasgow.
Disclosure Scotland has been set up to enhance public
safety by helping organisations make safer recruitment
decisions and it should also give parents and relatives
increased peace of mind.
The Executive will make £1 million available per year to
cover the costs of checks for voluntary organisations.
There will be three types of Disclosure available;
- the Basic Disclosure (criminal conviction
certificate)
- the Standard Disclosure (criminal record
certificate)
- and the Enhanced Disclosure (enhanced criminal
record certificate).
Organisations will be encouraged to register with
Disclosure Scotland, part of the Scottish Criminal Record
Office, who will issue the Disclosures to the individual
who applied for them and, where appropriate to the
registered body or person.
The Disclosures will be available from April.
Speaking at Hampden Stadium, Mr Wallace said:
"The Scottish Executive is absolutely committed to
improving public safety. One of the groups most in need of
increased protection is children and vulnerable adults. We
need to ensure that those who work with children and
vulnerable adults disclose any criminal convictions they
have so that employers and others can make an informed
judgement about their suitability for such work.
"There are many dedicated people working with children
and vulnerable people across Scotland who deserve great
praise for their efforts. However it is a position which
can be exploited and it important that we do everything we
can to enhance the safety of the vulnerable and give
parents and relatives increased peace of mind.
"The new system will mean that those seeking positions
in the most sensitive areas - such as being in sole charge
of a child - may well be required by the employer to obtain
the highest level of Disclosure. The Enhanced Disclosure
also allows for the police to pass on non-conviction
information if they feel it is relevant to the job
application.
"The fact that a criminal record check is made, however,
should not make that person automatically unsuitable. The
information in these checks should be handled carefully and
with sensitivity and should also be used as part of normal
employment checks, not as the sole method of checking
someone's suitability.
"The Scottish Executive is committed to improving public
safety across the board. Today's launch of Disclosure
Scotland is part of a range of measures currently being
taken forward by the Executive to give added protection to
the public. Other initiatives include stopping the accused
from personally cross-examining the victim in sex offence
cases, creating Lifelong Restriction orders for the most
serious and violent offenders and rolling out electronic
tagging throughout Scotland. All of these initiatives will
improve public safety and also make people feel safer."
The Scottish Criminal Record Office and the Scottish
Executive are working with BT to produce a managed IT
system that will meet the needs of Disclosure Scotland.
Danny McLaughlin, managing director, BT Major Business,
said:
"Excellence in communications and technology
infrastructure will be critical to the success of
Disclosure Scotland. We welcome the opportunity to
demonstrate our capability in this area. BT is focused on
working together with partners to deliver innovative and
comprehensive solutions that result in the provision of
improved access to information. This partnership is a
groundbreaking development for us which harnesses the
strengths of our whole organisation.
"It's a privilege to be involved in the Disclosure
Scotland project, which will offer greater protection to
the public, particularly those who are more vulnerable,
through the delivery of a managed IT system to bring about
safer recruitment."
Part V of the Police Act 1997 extends access to criminal
history checks considerably. There will be three types of
Disclosures:
Basic Disclosure - Criminal Conviction Certificates
(CCCs) will be available to any individual on
application and will show all convictions which are not
spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
(ROA).
Standard Disclosure - Criminal Record Certificates
(CRCs) will be for those whose occupations are
exceptions to the ROA, for example positions concerned with
social services or health services. These Disclosures will
contain details of spent and unspent convictions. A copy of
the Disclosure will go to the employer or voluntary
organisation and to the individual.
Enhanced Disclosure - Criminal Record Certificates
(ECRCs) will be mainly for those in positions
which involve regularly caring for, training, supervising
or being in sole charge of children or vulnerable adults.
These Disclosures will contain details of spent and unspent
convictions and may also include other non-conviction
information from local police records considered relevant
to the position being sought. A copy will go to the
employer or voluntary organisation and to the
individual.
An applicant for a position may be invited to supply a
Standard or Enhanced Disclosure for the type of occupation
indicated above once he or she is at the point of being
offered a post. The applicant needs to have their
application endorsed by a person or body registered in
advance with Disclosure Scotland. Once the Disclosure has
been compiled it will be sent to both the applicant and the
potential employer.
The Scottish Criminal Record Office will issue these
Disclosures on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Volunteer
Development Scotland will process applications from those
who benefit from free checks.
It is estimated that around 100,000 volunteers work with
children and vulnerable adults.