Hi Lilli and all

Rather than relying on the MLA guadance, which appears to be somewhat flawed, you can download the official guidance document directly from the ISA website at

www.isa-gov.org.uk/PDF/VBS_guidance_ed1_2010.pdf

The document is about 80 pages long, but it is Annex B, which starts on page 69 which may be of particular interest in the context of museum outreach and education activities.

This is somewhat forbiddingly titled Regulated activity:statutory guidance on frequency.

And it includes, on pp 72-3, a number of case studies. One of these (para B.23) seems to me to be particularly relevant to the case of people who take outreach activities out into schools, or bring their own workshops into museums.

The case study reads:

B.23 A firefighter goes to a different school every two 
weeks to instruct the children in fire prevention. This 
does not meet the frequency test and is not regulated 
activity. If the visits were weekly, the activity would still 
not require registration because the firefighter would 
not be returning to the same school on a weekly basis. 

Hope this helps


Cheers




Richard.






Richard Ellam
L M Interactive
Science Shows and Hands-On Stuff
tel/fax 01761 412 797

www.lminteractive.co.uk
[log in to unmask]




On 30 Mar 2010, at 13:24, lilli sort wrote:

Thanks Richard,
I'll check out the links.
Clearly the MLA document should urgently be rectified from stating that "anyone employed to work with children" are required to be registered with ISA to clearly and obviously state (not in footnotes or linked documents) that it is only those doing so in permanent, frequent or intensive situations that needs to be on the database? If not, I can imagine a host of museum/galleries demanding ISA registration where it is actually not necessary, and in doing so, lose a number of experienced educators and guests who are not willing to be listed on the scheme.
Best
Lili


From: Richard Ellam <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tue, 30 March, 2010 12:37:23
Subject: Re: MLA Safeguarding Guidance Bulletin - ISA Vetting & Barring Scheme

HI Lilli and all

I recently raised this question with the Orwellian sounding Vetting and Barring Agency, and copies of both my query and the VBA response follow:

Dear Richard

Thank you for your recent email. 

I can confirm that for individuals who go into different schools or similar settings to work with different groups of children should not be required to register with the ISA unless their contact with same group of children is frequent or intensive.

"Frequent" - one occasion per week or more on an ongoing basis
"Intensive" - on four or more occasions in any 30 day period.

Full details regarding 'visits to different settings' can be found on page 14 of a document called 'Drawing the line'
the web link is below for your convenience.

http://publications.everychildmatters.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-01122-2009.pdf

If you would like to be kept up to date in the future on the Vetting and Barring scheme, please reply to this email with your preferred contact details.

Kind regards,

Sarah Fenton
The Vetting & Barring Scheme Information Team






-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Ellam [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 10:25 AM
To:
Cc:
Subject: Do I need to register with the ISA?

Hi

I am a freelance writer and presenter of Science Shows. I am self-
employed.

My work, for which I am paid, involves me visiting schools, museums 
and science centres to present live performances to audiences of 
children and adults.

Although I may spend up to about 100 days a year in schools, I 
generally only visit any particular school for one or at the most two 
days, and the contact that I have with any given class of children is 
normally limited to them sitting in an audience in front of me for up 
to about 1 hour. In some shows I get members of the audience up to 
help with experiments. Children are always accompanied in my shows by 
their class teachers and other members of school staff.

I also occasionally perform at science festivals and similar events, 
where I may be engaged for 3-4 days, to perform shows for visiting 
schools.  Again I will see any given class of children for only about 
1 hour during this 3-4 day process, and the classes are always 
accompanied by teachers and other adult helpers.

So the question is, given that Authors who visit schools to give 
readings will not be required to register with the ISA, and the work 
that I do has basically similar levels of contact with children to 
that of visiting authors, do I need to register with the ISA?

Please support your answer with full argument and reference to the 
appropriate regulations and legislation.

Yours




Richard Ellam.






It seems therefore that if you don't work with the same children more than once a week, on a regular basis , or on more than four days in any one month, that you won't have to register with the ISA or go through the nonsense of CRB checks.  These changes to the regulations came into force in January this year after the public condemnation of the previous absurdly stringent rules when they were announced before Xmas.

However, just to prove that the State really is run by fools, OFSTED is now making a big fuss about 'safeguarding' and so some schools are behaving in a totally paranoid way over the whole business of Vetting, and more or less refusing to allow anyone without a CRB check onto their premises, despite there being no statutory basis for any such requirement. 

Its worth noting that the Government cannot produce a shred of evidence that the exsiting CRB check system is more effective as a means of combatting child abuse than its predecessor, and will not be able to show that the money spent (wasted?) on the new scheme will make it any more effective than the existing one - they don't bother to collect relevant data!

If, as I do, you feel strongly that the whole business of 'child protection' and vetting has got completely out of hand then an organisation called the Manifesto Club has been running a campaign against this form of 21 century witch hunt for some years. To find out more see www.manifestoclub.com/hubs/vetting.

Hope this helps


Cheers



Richard

Richard Ellam
L M Interactive
Science Shows and Hands-On Stuff
tel/fax 01761 412 797

www.lminteractive.co.uk
[log in to unmask]



On 29 Mar 2010, at 20:40, lilli sort wrote:



Richard Ellam
L M Interactive
Science Shows and Hands-On Stuff
tel/fax 01761 412 797





Thanks for this. 
However, I can't imagine that everyone is simply in favour of this new  scheme  and would like to know if anyone is involved in getting it rectified or stopped?
I know there has been general opposition to it from within literature and music and personally know of several artists, now often working on educational projects, who will stop doing this if regisring on the datebase becomes a requirement. 
I'd like to hear some views on this from within the sector - also if you know of any museum led opposition groups working to get the scheme stopped (I know the government already has been forced to re-think) but have no specific point for finding what the sector is thinking.

Thanks all,
Lilli 


From: Jan Kofi-Tsekpo <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Mon, 29 March, 2010 18:39:11
Subject: MLA Safeguarding Guidance Bulletin - ISA Vetting & Barring Scheme

With apologies for cross-posting.

 

 

MLA Safeguarding Guidance Bulletin - ISA Vetting & Barring Scheme

 

Please see the following link to the MLA Safeguarding Guidance Bulletin about safeguarding and child protection, with key information about the Independent Safeguarding Authority’s new Vetting & Barring Scheme.http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/policy_development/learning/~/media/Files/pdf/2010/programmes/MLA_safeguarding_bulletin_03-10

 

The bulletin includes Frequently Asked Questions drawn up by Artswork during their delivery of 10 safeguarding seminars across England , and also complements the recent advice surgeries run by the NSPCC; both run on behalf of the MLA’s Strategic Commissioning Continuing Professional Development programme. http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/commissioning/CPD

 

This is the first of three six-monthly bulletins to be issued by the MLA as a supplement to our current MLA NSPCC Safeguarding Guidance document.

 

Further information about the new scheme can be found on the ISA website: http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/ or by ringing 0300 123 1111.

 

 

Jan Kofi-Tsekpo
Strategic Commissioning Project Manager - National CPD / 14-19 / London
Museums Libraries & Archives Council

 

<1.3632340458>

 

T: +44 (0) 7825 932 769
F: +44 (0) 121 345 7303

 

 

 


______________________________________________________________________

Unless stated otherwise the information contained in this e-mail and any
attachments is confidential. If you have received it in error, you are
on notice of its status. It is intended solely for the addressee.
Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you are not the
intended recipient please notify the sender immediately and delete the
email and any attachments from your system.

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council is a Company Limited by
Guarantee, Registered in England, with Company Number 03888251. The
Registered Office being : Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, (MLA)
Grosvenor House, 14 Bennett's Hill, Birmingham, B2 5RS. Registered Charity
number : 1079666.
______________________________________________________________________
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GEM list: Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=GEM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GEM list: Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=GEM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GEM list: Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=GEM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GEM list: Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=GEM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GEM list: Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=GEM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +