Child Protection

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What is a vet ?

Is a deliberately obscure and ambiguous question ?

Well yes it is, a vet is an animal doctor and also it is shorthand terminology for the result of a check conducted through a vetting process. In England a criminal record check will throw up just that, has the subject been found guilty of an offence. It will also show the authorities that the individual is the subject of charges relating to an offence for which he is to be tried at a later date or one for which he has previously been tried.

Under the current data protection legislation (DATA PROTECTION ACT 1984, Section21), every individual has the right to know what information is held about them on a computer. Access to this information by an individual, about themselves, has to be made via the local police force. Further information and advice can be obtained from, The Office of the Data Protection Registrar, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. (Telephone - 01625 545700)

Formalities out of the way, shall we move on or should I say back to the question set, What is a VET ?

There are occasions when vetting is necessary. In the main this will be done for organisational protection and also to protect vulnerable people such as children from potential abusers. Currently this process is delayed as the recently formed CRB, criminal records bureau, struggles to cope with the weight of applications from Hospitals, Schools and local authorities amongst other who seek to have very necessary checks done on their new and potential employees as well as routine checks on current staff. These checks would usually be updated every three years and consist of, as their name suggest, criminal records as well as those held by other government departments in the form of intelligence gathering etc. More information can be obtained by visiting http://www.crb.gov.uk

For those involved in Football, The FA intend to be a registered body to have checks conducted by the CRB but are suffering along with others as a result of the initial over load and demand on the service.

An alternative is to use an independent source of vetting to follow the process through for you. In the UK, one organisation that was very helpful to the Avon Youth League was, Fair Play for Children. The contact is Jan Cosgrove. They will also be operating within the confines of the CRB but you may contact them via their registered offices:

Fair Play for Children, 35 Lyon Street, Bognor Regis, West Sussex. PO21 1BW

Telephone and Facsimile - 01243 869922

E-Mail - fairplay@arunet.co.uk

Web Site - http://www.arunet.co.uk/fairplay/

Now, shall we move on or should I say back to the question set, What is a VET ?

Sadly, a criminal record check is of limited use. One area in which the author has worked has just short of 1000 entries on the register of known sex offenders. It also has 4,500 plus entries in an intelligence database. In normal circumstances a Criminal Record Check will not access that database. That may well change as the law and public opinion on the subject come more and more into line with each other.

EVEN THEN, many offences are committed by persons who have not previously been charged with an offence or been the subject of an investigation or intelligence gathering operation before. NONE OF THESE WOULD BE SHOWN BY A VET. Statistics show that 80% of offences are committed by individuals who are known to the victim.

All of this serves to illustrate why Education is the key part of this initiative.

This page was written by Paul Tompkins and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any other individual or organisation.

Safer-Soccer guidelines, developed from information contained within Avon & Somerset Police Child-Safe training pack.© Copyright 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 All rights reserved.