The following information was received from ACE East Midlands.

Dear colleagues

Here is some information on Safeguarding - the new name for Child Protection.

Changes to child protection policy

Following the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells by Ian Huntley (a school caretaker) in 2002, the Bichard Inquiry was commissioned. One of the issues this Inquiry looked at was the way employers recruit people to work with children and vulnerable adults. The Independent Safeguarding Authority's (ISA) has been set up to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults. The ISA will assess every person who wants to work or volunteer with vulnerable people. From November 2010, all people being employed to work with Children and Young People would have to be registered with the ISA, but you would have to undertake a one-off CRB check as well. The ISA would then check them regularly and let organisations know if any new records were found against an employee.

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) will continue to exist separately to the Independent Safeguarding Authority. CRB's primary concern is ALL criminal records- including allegations, where as the ISA register will only include persons who have been convicted of harming a child or vulnerable adult.

Guidance for organisations working with children and young people

Children England and NSPCC have formed a new £2.2m national safeguarding unit to help protect eight million children taking part in organised activities. Safe Network is funded by the DCSF which recognised the need for a tailored safeguarding support for the Third Sector following its Staying Safe consultation with charitable and voluntary organisations. Safe Network aims to build capacity of third sector organisations in England to safeguard children.

The NSPCC have requested that all safeguarding queries from the third sector are directed to Safe Network. Safe Network will provide authoritative information and advice through a website - www.safenetwork.org.uk - and telephone helpline - 0116 234 7217.

The ISA website provides a lot of information including dates of free roadshows (shown below) to advise organisations on the changes. See: http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/default.aspx?page=28

Friday 10 July Southampton

Monday 13 July Cardiff

Tuesday 14 July Llandudno

Wednesday 15 July Liverpool

This series will demonstrate how the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority will deliver the new scheme as laid down by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. To book onto any of these roadshows please visit the website: http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/default.aspx?page=28

Future activity: The ISA will be producing 17 sector specific guidance documents by October 2009.

TiPP (Theatre in Prisons and Probation), a North West RFO will be providing further guidance through workshops across the region this Autumn.

Arts Council England will keep RFOs informed over coming months how all of the changes outlined above will affect our current safeguarding guidance and infrastructure.