New calls to end the Vetting and Barring Scheme

More calls today to put an end to the proposed Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS).

The VBS, which was launched by the last government, introduced new rules to screen and verify individals, including volunteers, that wanted to work with children and vulnerable adults. The scheme was widely condemned by charities and volunteers who claimed that it would discourage people from giving their time due to the overly draconian measures it introduced. As a result the new Home Secretary Theresa May suspended the scheme in June pending a full evaluation.,

The think tank Civitas, have since released their own verdict of the scheme, stating that the VBS risked combining with a broader culture of fear to "poison the relationship between the generations". The organisation called for a "greater openness and more frequent contact" among people of different ages.

A Civitas spokesman said: "If the government fails to halt the VBS, the scheme will continue to poison the relationship between the generations, intersecting a broader culture of fear, which creates a formal barrier between adults and children."

Civitas said the system went against the government's Big Society ideal, and "actually increases the risks to children".

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Registration with the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) was halted in June to allow the new government to bring the criminal records and Vetting and Barring regime back to common sense levels.

"The terms of reference for the remodelling of the VBS and of the criminal records regime are currently being considered and a further announcement will be made shortly."

The Independent Safeguarding Authority, which runs the VBS, is one of the quangos that is being considered for deletion according to a leaked document that was reported on last week.