About Us
Vetting and Safeguarding Policy Unit
The Vetting and Safeguarding Policy Unit (VSPU) is a core Home Office unit responsible for the development and delivery of workforce vetting policy.
It acts as the sponsor unit for the department’s arms length bodies that deal with this high profile subject – the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) (new window), the Criminal Records Bureau (new window) and the Security Industry Authority (new window).
Vetting and Barring Scheme
As well as undertaking this sponsorship and policy development function, the VSPU is responsible for implementing a new scheme – the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS).
The VBS aims to help avoid harm, or risk of harm, to children and vulnerable adults by preventing those who are deemed unsuitable from working or volunteering with children or vulnerable adults or from gaining access to them through their work.
Bichard Inquiry
The VBS was created following the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman by Ian Huntley in 2002. Following these murders, Sir Michael Bichard was commissioned to look into how people are recruited to work with vulnerable individuals. He presented his Bichard report in 2004.
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (new window), which came into effect following the inquiry's recommendations, provides the legislative framework that underpins the Vetting and Barring Scheme.
The VBS is being introduced in direct response to recommendation 19 of the Bichard Inquiry report. It covers a wide range of individuals and create lists not only of those who are barred from working with children or vulnerable adults, but also those who are explicitly allowed to work with these groups.
The new scheme will be far more proactive than the current process. For the first time, conviction and intelligence information held by the police about individuals will be continuously updated to see if the individual should be barred from working with vulnerable groups. When the new scheme is fully rolled out it will be illegal to work with children and vulnerable adults if you have not registered with the ISA.
