The Kintyre Forum

As someone who recently had to be vetted as part of the Child Protection process and also noticed the reduction in the number of adults involved with local youth groups what are your thoughts on the process?

I found it an extremely time consuming process which nearly put me off!

Surely a little inconvenience to individuals is a small price to pay to try and ensure the safety of children......

But if someone is an offender who has never been caught then the process won`t work anyway, as in the Vanessa George case.

It would probably surprise you the number of people who are flagged because of systems like this (nearly 11,000 in the last 5 years). I know these systems are hardly perfect but may be a deterrent. Certainly better than nothing.

I tend to agree with sweltered. No system can ever be 100% fail-safe. But if it can reduce the risk then that must be a good thing.

There is a whole unintendend consequence with a reduction in the numbers of people volunteering for youth organisations, as ultraviolet highlights. We need to work out how to overcome this, I think, rather than use it as an excuse to diminish / reject the safeguarding system.

There is one fundamental that is overlooked time and time again when people raise Child Protection issues. The whole scheme is there to protect adults as much as children.(in terms of your interests) It is there to ensure as an adult you are protected too and if I were involved in any group that involved children under 18 I would ensure I had this.

Ship called Dignity wrote:There is one fundamental that is overlooked time and time again when people raise Child Protection issues. The whole scheme is there to protect adults as much as children.(in terms of your interests) It is there to ensure as an adult you are protected too and if I were involved in any group that involved children under 18 I would ensure I had this.

Exactly right right Davie. Over here fingerprinting is required as part of the vetting process.

As foster parents my wife and I underwent Enhanced Disclosure any number of times. I also had to have it done for the one and only time I ferried a bunch of kids to a DofE camp. It always seemed a lot of palaver and I expect it cost the council a pretty penny, too. I don't see how it gave any kind of protection to us.

Beachcomber wrote:I also had to have it done for the one and only time I ferried a bunch of kids to a DofE camp. It always seemed a lot of palaver and I expect it cost the council a pretty penny, too. I don't see how it gave any kind of protection to us.

I suspect you know more than most about the act Gary as I only understood more about it through work done by the local Sports Council a couple of years ago. However, with regards the above I suspect you have more protection having the disclosure than not having it if someone were to make an accusation? I guess what I was trying to say is that everyone sees the process as solely to protect kids but it is also there to protect the adults too if some kid made a completely false accusation. I was surprised by what I learned from it and more surprised to find out the number of adults (or clubs) who have not been vetted or have any policy in place.

Do agree however, there is alot of red tape and what ifs but just trying to highlight there are benefits of being vetted too for adults. An interesting topic no less however.

I agree that child protection does in fact protect both children and adults. One thing you have to remember is that your disclosure is only really valid the day it is printed. It can be another year before your next disclosure is printed-that leaves an awful long time for things to become apparent.