The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 was passed as a
result of the Bichard Inquiry arising from the Soham murders in
2002, when the schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells were
murdered by Ian Huntley (their school caretaker).
The Inquiry questioned the way employers recruit people to work
with vulnerable groups, and particularly the way background checks
are carried out. Recommendation 19 of the Inquiry Report
highlighted the need for a single agency to vet all individuals who
want to work or volunteer with children or vulnerable adults and to
bar unsuitable people from doing so.
The Act was created in response to recommendation 19 and the
ISA
was set up to fulfil this role across England, Wales and Northern
Ireland. (Scotland will set up its own similar authority linked to
the ISA.)
Full details of the Act are available on the Office of Public Sector Information
website (new window) and can be downloaded as a pdf.
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