Category Archives: Voluntary

Definition of Regulated Activity for Adults

Regulated activities are the activities that the DBS can bar people from doing. It is a criminal offence for a barred person to seek to work, or work in, activities from which they are barred. It is also a criminal offence for employers or voluntary organisations to knowingly employ a barred person in regulated activity.

The CQC provides guidance on which activities are considered regulated.

This is their quick reference guide, showing how regulated activities and service types are likely to link to each other.  It is important to review the regulated activities
regulations, decide which regulated activities your service carries out, and then apply to register for those activities. If you carry on a regulated activity without being registered for it, you may be prosecuted and liable to a fine.

The Department of Health has also published information on the scope of regulated activity in relation to adults.

Abuse of young athletes in sport

A study, by Edge Hill University, aims to establish the prevalence of abuse and maltreatment experienced by competitive athletes, in their childhood and beyond, in the UK. 

This project is being undertaken by Edge Hill University’s Centre for Child Protection and Safeguarding in Sport (CPSS), and is supported by Sport England. The study is the first large-scale survey in the UK to ask competitive athletes about their negative experiences in sport. The data collected will be relevant for everyone working within the sports sector.

For more information click here

If you are interested in supporting this research or hearing more about the process, please contact Dr Mike Hartill, Director of the Centre for Child Protection and Safeguarding in Sport (CPSS), at  or 01695 584763.

 

Voluntary & Faith Sectors concern over new legislation

A number of organisations have raised significant concerns about the impact of the new safeguarding legislation as the Protection of Freedoms Bill  moves through the committee stage. 

The NSPCC has prepared a parliamentary briefing, which has led to an ammedment that retains the age of a child as being under 18, not under 16 as originally proposed.  Now the Faith sector, led by The Christian Forum for Safeguarding  and Fairplay for Children have added their concerns.  The points raised in these documents are outlined below and are covered in detail at our briefing events.  Continue reading Voluntary & Faith Sectors concern over new legislation

CEOP lead paedophile ring shutdown

Details are emerging about the full extent of the largest internet paedophile ring yet discovered as an international team led from the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) shuts it down.  After a three-year investigation it has now been made public that the global forum had 70,000 followers at its height, leading to 4,000 intelligence reports being sent to police across 30 countries.

‘Operation Rescue’ has so far identified 670 suspects and 230 abused children.    In the UK, the 240 those suspects include police officers, teachers, karate teacherand a woman.To date, 33 have been convicted, including John McMurdo, a scout leader from Plymouth. Another forum user was Stephen Palmer, 54, of Birkenhead, who shared abuse images with contacts in the US. A third man, 46-year-old Colin Hoey Brown of Bromsgrove, was jailed for making and distributing almost 1,000 images. Continue reading CEOP lead paedophile ring shutdown

Scale of CRB checks on Volunteers

The Daily Mail reported on a press release by the Manifesto Club about the scale of volunteer vetting.  “Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that almost a million checks were made last year, a six-fold increase since the CRB was launched in 2002.”

 The Club, which campaigns against over-regulation, claims that many local authorities – even Tory ones – are still demanding ‘blanket’ vetting of volunteers.   Josie Appleton, director of the Manifesto Club, said: ‘The  Government has made some fine statements criticising over-use  of the CRB checks but these haven’t affected anything on the ground.  ‘CRB checking is leading to the collapse of valuable community services and the loss of the best and most generous volunteers in our communities.’

A Home Office spokesman said the CRB was working to restore ‘proportionality’ to its service and added: ‘We are also clear that there are occasions that these checks are vital to protect public safety.’

Daily Mail Article

Sport challenges safeguarding changes

An alliance of Sports Governing Bodies are challenging the new definition of Regulated Activity that is emerging from study of the Protection of Freedoms Bill. Some of the proposed details are open to interpretation and will have significant impact on established practice and policies.   For instance :

  • Regulated Activity will no longer include any supervised teaching, training or instruction. In a sporting context, this requires clear definition. as the environment is so different to a school.  The Faith sector are also likely to be unhappy with the implications of this change.
  • Current proposals are that only the applicant will receive the CRB disclosure. Clarity is needed on how National Sports Governing Bodies, and other professional regulators will receive this
  • There will be a charge for the updating service. How this will work for volunteers and whether they will still be able to get checks for free is not clear.

Continue reading Sport challenges safeguarding changes

Your chance to be heard

The Protection of Freedoms Bill is the first time that a new element called a “Public Reading Stage” will be introduced.  It means that members of the public can comment directly on clauses of the Bill. These comments should contribute to the points made by MPs across all parties during the debates and committee stages – so it is an important opportunity.  

The website can be found here – http://publicreadingstage.cabinetoffice.gov.uk  – do add your perspectives with practical examples from your sector as this a very complex area which has been subject to  sweeping misrepresentation in the media.  Since only very low level stakeholder engagement is likely this is the best opportunity to amend some aspects of the legislation such as the availability of disclosures, scope of regulated activity and the level of guidance available. 

Also register with us so that you receive our briefing papers on each of these topics and more.