ISA registration - vulnerable adults

It will affect everyone - it's another ruddy 'government led' initiative and will cost each individual £64 to join. It will be law to have a VRB (Vetting and Barring Scheme) licence for existing therapists by 2014 - new therapists will have to join from November 2010. Call the number on the main Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) homepage and have a chat. There are no application forms available until July 2010. CRB checks will remain, and you will be required to have both (CRB and VBS) in due course.
There's always something isn't there!!!!

Only if you are treating underage or vulnerable adults. By vulnerable, that means someone who is normally unable to advocate for themselves e.g special needs, dementia. Most baby massage courses expect you to have CRB certificate too even tho' you don't touch the babies.

It used to be a guy in Dunblane that you saw but that was three years ago, don't know if he still does the checks for the CRB. You would have to phone the appropriate dept at the Scottish Office.

Patchouli

According to the woman on the helpline, this new VBS thingy will apply to all therapists, regardless of who they may or may not be working with and also, regardless of whether they are employed or sole traders/self employed.

Only if you are treating underage or vulnerable adults. By vulnerable, that means someone who is normally unable to advocate for themselves e.g special needs, dementia.
Patchouli

We have checked as to whether this will affect only those who work occasionally with children, with another responsible adult present as required by our Code of Conduct. The response we got is that ‘The therapists will require ISA registration due to them providing regulated activity - care, treatment and advice.’

Also, ‘While an individual is receiving any form of health care they are defined as a vulnerable adult, even though they may not be defined as this in their day to day lives.’

Joyce

‘While an individual is receiving any form of health care they are defined as a vulnerable adult, even though they may not be defined as this in their day to day lives.’

Joyce

Been told the same thing here.

Hi there

I've been checking this out also, as it's related to my day job. What fun I've had looking into it! 😀

My understanding is the same as Patchouli's - you need only register if you are employed or volunteering with children or vulnerable adults. The scheme has been developed partly in response to the Ian Huntley & Soham case and this is supposed to ensure a more coherent system, so there is no slipping through the net anymore. These checks already happen as part of an enhanced CRB (POVA, POCA and List 99), which again, you would already have if you are employed or volunteering with either of those groups

So if you're self employed or working in a salon, on a day to day basis, it's unlikely that you are in regular contact with children or vulnerable adults, so you wouldn't need to be registered. Even if you did come into contact in this way, in order to have to register, you would need to be in ongoing contact with that group - the terms they use are frequent and intensive.

If you then decided to take your skills somehere like Kids Company, to a mental health group, or local hospice, either as a worker or a volunteer with an ongoing commitment, then you would to register, becuase you are regularly in contact with children and/or vulnerable people. Your registration is for life, so provided you don't do anything that would strike you off, it only ever need be done once, and is free if you're a volunteer.

The information on the ISA website is extremely confusing,and sounds as if they provide advice on the helpline which conflicts with that published on the web. Also, it is very unclear how this system overcomes the issues which occurred in Soham. I do remember it being partly about Ian Huntley having used different surnames (how the ISA scheme prevents this, am not sure :confused:) and about inadequate sharing of information between police forces, again not sure how it addressed this, but hey-ho, just one of the little people, trying to earn a crust! 😉

I think the danger is that, as with CRB's, everyone, everywhere will they think they need to register when it's really about protecting two very specific groups from inappropriate contact & involvement with anyone unsuitable (e.g. anyone convicted of a violent or sexual offence). While I don't particularly like the tone of the legislation or even perhaps the assumptions it makes, we do need a system of safeguards to protect young and vulnerable people. My concern is delays! Dealing with CRB's is enough........

Elodie x

I disagree with Elodie and Patchouli on this, I have been informed that therapists will have to register, as KinFed pointed out:

'While an individual is receiving any form of health care they are defined as a vulnerable adult, even though they may not be defined as this in their day to day lives'

Therapy clients come under the category of receiving healthcare.

I'm a pedantic soul, forgive me :o, but the devil is in the detail. I found a reference, which may clarify this some more, or it may be that the advice has changed since this was published:

Any therapists who are employers, or have NHS funded patients, will need to register with the ISA. Self employed complementary therapists, who are private practitioners and treat only fee paying patients are not required to join the ISA vetting scheme, but will be able to do so on a voluntary basis from 2014.
[DLMURL] http://www.cobwebinfo.com/bba/Sector%20Dispatch%20-%20Complementary%20Therapy.pdf [/DLMURL]

There was also a reference on the FHT, but couldn't get it to load properly, which seemed to support the above. This seems accurate, and would support the reseach I've done so far, but would be interested to hear if the ISA does now include self employed complementary therapists, who don't treat NHS clients.

I'm not sure if that includes sports therapists, but probably the same rules apply? Unless you run a facility where you employ other therapists, or have NHS funded clients, then it probably doesn't apply to you.

Elodie x

Thanks for clarifying! 🙂

Its all about as clear as mud.

Registration to this new body is under reveiw by the new goverment and is currantly halted.
http://www.isa-gov.org/

However certain employers continue to ask for CRB checks to be performed. Here is the guidance from the criminal records beuro. It does not make easy reading IMO.

http://www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk/faqs/definitions.aspx

Have you had a CRB check done and what was your experience of the process...time taken etc.
If you are self employed like me you are barred from applying for a check to be done ?????

Prehaps those of you managing your membership can advise as to the percentage of members CRB checked.

Whilst the Vetting and Barring Scheme is on hold pending another review - the CRB checks will still be required as before and as they would have been even with the Vetting and Barring Scheme.
The slightly confusing issue for people is that the CRB Dept at the Home Office had redesigned the forms to reduce duplication with the Vetting and Barring scheme paperwork and now parts of the CRB form are not applicable.
Unfortunately this will mean further delay in getting CRB's processed - although in this case it isn't this departments fault as they had tried to simplify the process - it was out of their control that the scheme was put on hold for V&B.
Lets hope they make good realistic decisions for the new final scheme!