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Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill [Lords]

The House might find it useful to know that, as an ex-care standards inspector, I am well aware of the delays that can be caused in the Criminal Records Bureau. The care standards inspectorate bends over backwards to be supportive. There is a system in place that allows a home to take on a member of staff before a new criminal records check has been carried out, if such a check has been completed in the past, as long as that member of staff is not allowed unsupervised access to vulnerable people. If a person has had a check, which might be a matter of weeks, months or even a year out of date, that person can still work, provided that he or she does not have sole responsibility for providing unmonitored and unsupervised care to a vulnerable person. The system allows people working in the care profession to move between jobs and thus not lose opportunities to work. It also enables employers to take people on. The only time that such a system is not in place is when a person comes into the profession for the first time.