Don't make us pay to protect the public

(16/06/09) “Protection of the public is paramount,” national executive committee member Chris Tansley told delegates during the debate on the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and its Scottish equivalent this afternoon.

The ISA aims to help stop unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults.

But Mr Tansley made it clear that, in its current planned state, it would have a “disproportionate” impact on low-paid workers, on part-time workers and on women workers in particular – and that that was unacceptable.

Opening the debate for the national women’s committee, Cath Elliot explained that the ISA, unlike other existing lists, would be “a positive register”. In other words, people working with vulnerable children and adults would need to register in order to be able to do their jobs.

And not only that, but it will cost money to register too.

Ms Elliot highlighted the cost to individual members but, if employers agree to pay the fee, noted “the potential effect on services” because of that expense.

And she noted that, for around three million people, it would represent a “duplication”, since they are “already registered” or have been checked in one way or another.

Conference called on the executive to:

• ensure that workers and users of public services don’t lose out due to the registration charges and that the registration cost is not borne by employees;



• ensure that the schemes should not duplicate existing or new registration schemes;



• run a recruitment campaign around the schemes;



• arrange training for members who will be affected;



• develop a toolkit to help branches negotiate with employers over the issue.

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