Independent Safeguarding Authority

ISA is a “non-departmental public body”, which means that it has its own Board and is not directly controlled by a minister; it also means that it must be self financing! ISA will have a staff of 250 and is based in Darlington

Process

The process will require people in “regulated” and “controlled” employment activities to be ISA registered. For the purposes of the regulations the term “employers” includes managers of volunteers and “employees” include unpaid volunteers.

A Regulated Activity is any activity of a specified nature providing advice, guidance or assistance that involves frequent or intensive and direct contact with children or vulnerable adults. It also includes positions of responsibility such as governors & management committee members.

Controlled activity is frequent or intensive activity in “support” of work in locations where activities for children or vulnerable adults are delivered. Roles falling within controlled activities include cleaners, caretakers, catering staff, receptionists and administration staff (who have access to sensitive records). An employer can permit a barred individual to work in a controlled activity, but only if sufficient safeguards are put in place.

An activity is considered frequent if it occurs more than once per month and intensive if it occurs more than 3 days in a 30 day period and/or involves any overnight activity. Regulated refers to engagement in any activity where there is direct contact or

It will be a criminal offence (up to 5 years imprisonment) to allow employment to commence before receiving the result of the ISA check. Employers will be able to check an individual’s “barring status” by going online and using their name, date of birth and the ISA reference number given to the individual by ISA. The ISA barring process does not in anyway remove the need for good recruitment processes, including consideration of convictions and cautions.

Employers Referencing ISA

Employers may start conducting checks on new employees from July 2010. There is no particular “employer registration process”, so no cost either.

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