New Clause 4
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill [Lords]
3:45 pm
Maria Miller (Shadow Minister (Education), Education; Basingstoke, Conservative)
Indeed. It has taken this issue seriously in its safer recruitment toolkit, which is available online for all employers and employees in Hampshire. That toolkit talks specifically about what constitutes occasional work:
“Occasionally, volunteers may be engaged to assist with a single event only, where they will be working under the supervision of a qualified member of staff, or may be undertaking a role that will allow them no unsupervised access to children. In such instances, headteachers should use their professional judgement—
echoing the Minister’s words—
“to determine if disclosure is necessary.
Hampshire education authority felt that Lord Adonis’s proposal on the definition of “occasional” was not in line with what it would like to see in respect of schools in the county. This is a most important aspect of the Bill that deserves to be focused on a little more by the Government. I hope that the Minister will be able to tell me how he will deal with the differing views of what constitutes “occasional” or “frequently” and whether he will allow employers such as Hampshire education authority, which has a great deal of experience in this area, the flexibility that they will need to deal with the circumstances on the ground.