Government Unveils New Proposals

Policymakers have been urged by a specialist at Irwin Mitchell to take care when reviewing guidelines on criminal background checks for those who work with children.

As part of the government’s Freedoms Bill, it has been revealed that people who volunteer to work with both youngsters and vulnerable adults will not need criminal record checks.

The government’s aim is to ensure that those keen to work with vulnerable members of society are not deterred by concerns over bureaucracy and that the system is proportionate to needs.

Gary Walker, an expert at Irwin Mitchell who specialises in providing advice to victims of child abuse, said it was vital that every care is taken to ensure changes are made in a manner which does not impact on the safety of young people.

“Whilst we appreciate the reasons given for the changes the priority must be protecting children and vulnerable members of society who need the best possible support from care workers.

“It is vital that every precaution must be taken to ensure their safety is guaranteed, while policymakers must make sure this is reflected in any of the changes they intend to make.”